EUSIACHE BE LOREY
and h
DOUGLAS SLADEN

YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA

QUEER THINGS
ABOUT PERSIA

BY

EUSTACHE DE LOREY
FORMERLY OF THE LEGATION OF FRANCE
AT THE COURT OF PERSIA

DOUGLAS SLADEN
AUTHOR OF "QUEER THINGS ABOUT JAPAN"
"THE SECRETS OF THE VATICAN" ETC. ETC.

WITH FIFTY-TWO FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS

PHILADELPHIA
J. B. LIPPINCOTT CO.
LONDON: EVELEIGH NASH
1907

PREFACE
I have never written a book whose title was so much
criticised as my recently published Secrets of the Vatican.
But no one, I think, will say that Queer Things about
Persia is a misnomer. As its name implies, it is written
on the lines of my Queer Things about Japan. In other
words, leaving completeness to those who have had
greater opportunities of studying the country, it is content
to be characteristic.
It will be noticed that this book is written in the first
person singular.
I have not been in Persia, whereas Mr. de Lorey
spent two years there as a member of the Legation of
France at the Court of Teheran.
It is right, therefore, that the descriptions should be
his in form as they are in actuality. Our method of
collaboration was very simple and direct. I suggested
to him a general scheme for the book, drawn up on the
lines of my Queer Things about Japan. He considered
how far this was applicable to the conditions of Persia,
and produced the actual scheme. Upon this we worked.
Our method of work was for him to spend so many
hours or days in thinking out the subject of a chapter.

vi PREFACE
When he had arranged his notes, he dictated and I wrote
down the chapter, and this time it was I who made the
suggestions. But the alterations I suggested were as
few as possible, because I felt that each alteration
detracted from the unity of his conception. I venture
to think that both the indolent reader who merely wishes
to be thoroughly amused, and the more serious person
who wishes to get an idea of Persia, will be equally
grateful to me, for seldom has so fresh a picture been
presented of that distant and unapproachable country,
which has preserved its individuality unimpaired since
the days when the Ruler of Persia would have overrun
the world if a Spartan King had not held the passes of
Thermopylae, and Athens had not laid the foundations
of her fame with her dazzling victories of Marathon and
Salamis. Xerxes and Darius, Artaxerxes and Cyrus, are
all household words. From Xenophon, who was one of
the ten thousand Greeks who all but overthrew the great
King in the heart of his empire, and when they lost
their leader, fought their way back to the sea where
Constantinople stands to-day, we take familiar words
like paradise and satrap, just as in our own day we have
taken khaki from khak — the Persian word for mud.
What Greeks fighting under the Persian Prince
Cyrus nearly achieved at the end of the fifth century
B.C., men of Greek race achieved less than a century
later under Alexander of Macedon, the wonder of the
world. He attacked and threw down Persia, and Asia
was at his feet.

PREFACE vii
Behind the ruins of Persia rose Parthia, whose
dashing horse archers outmanoeuvred the iron legionaries
of Rome. And Persia itself under Chosroes was a
greater conqueror in the West than in her early zenith
under Xerxes. But neither on these ancient military
glories, when Persia ravaged the world, nor on her last
great triumph, when Nadir Shah swept as a conqueror
through India and brought back the Peacock Throne —
most glittering of the trophies of history — as a record, do
we dwell in these pages. Still less shall we linger to
untwine the tortuous skein of Eastern politics. But of
the life of the Shah, as the last of the dazzling monarchs
of the Golden East who has survived to show us the
splendour of Asia at the Court of the Great Mogul,
innumerable details are given.
This book, in fact, aims at representing the life of the
Shah and the life of his people — it is in the extrava
gances of both that we have sought Queer Things about
Persia. The Persian is very little changed in the centuries
which have elapsed since the Arabian Nights were
written. What was true of his neighbours then, comes
near being true about him to-day. He is a "courtly
primitive." His manners are very perfect even for
an Asiatic gentleman. He has an esprit not often
vouchsafed to Asiatics ; but he can also be Asiatically
cruel, treacherous, and untruthful, and has only passive
courage : and he is indolent and unpatriotic, though
there are many brilliant exceptions.

viii PREFACE
Besides his delightful courtesy and vivacity, the
Persian has many other good qualities, such as his love
of poetry and literature, his love of flowers, his love of
beauty generally. He is aesthetic, not only in his tastes,
but in his life. He is a fine horseman and a lover of
sport. He is, in fact, a survival of the mediaeval, a
twentieth-century troubadour hedged in by harems.
This book aims, on the one hand, at describing the
life of the Persian — from the Shah in his palace to the
house-guard who receives only a few shillings a month ;
and, on the other hand, at describing the surroundings
of the European residents in Teheran. In the latter
category Mr. de Lorey gives lis, with engaging directness,
his own experiences in taking a house, engaging servants,
buying horses, wandering about the streets, shopping in
the bazars, learning to speak and write Persian, and
visiting Persians in their homes. And he winds up with
a description of his visit to the Caucasus and Persian
Kurdistan, which brought him in contact with a life and
types strange and interesting even for Persia. Here we
have the sublime Peak of Ararat, the ancient city of
Tiflis, and Ur of the Chaldees before us. And Mr.
de Lorey's narrative becomes positively thrilling as he
describes his ride through the country haunted by the
brigand Shahsevends into Tabriz.
Mr. de Lorey has many stories to tell — sometimes
they are of adventure, as in the episode when he was
held up by the seven armed horsemen in the Pass, or
when he went home and found a crowd outside his

PREFACE ix
house clamouring for his blood, because his servant,
Abd-Oullah, had taken a Mohammedan woman into
the house ; sometimes they are illustrative of modern
Persian life, such as the story how they found a boy
to take its place when the cat which was the Shah's
mascot died ; or the story of the Governor who, when
a peasant was insensible to his graciousness, shot him
like a crow ; or the story of the Frenchman who had
to turn Mohammedan or die because he was discovered
with a Mohammedan woman ; or a Persian version of
the Taming of the Shrew. Sometimes they are old
Persian stories, such as the Tale of the Forty Parrots ;
of King Solomon's Adventure with a Djinn ; of the
traveller who lost a bag of gold at the well ; of the
astrologer who told a man everything that was going
to happen to him in his whole life, though his gift of
prophecy did not reveal that his own wife was at that
moment being carried off by her lover ; of the rich
merchant who divorced his wife once too often ; and
of the grateful dragon ; with a score of others.
Mr. de Lorey has much to say of the humours
of the Persian police ; of the humours of his servants,
one of whom discontinued being a tailor to become
his valet, and another left his service to become a
colonel ; of the humours of Persian race-meetings and
the Persian army, and Nasr-ed-Din's methods of re
cruiting his harem.
But the book is not given up to humours ; there
are vivid descriptions of the streets and squares, the

x PREFACE
palaces, mosques, and gardens of Teheran ; of the
Shah's and Grand Vizier's receptions; of hashish-
smoking at the Persian princes' ; of the machinery of
Government, and justice ; of the bastinado and execu
tions ; of the bazars ; of the hammam or Turkish
baths ; of the caravanseraies or inns ; of the making
and selling of Persian carpets, and the like.
Mr. de Lorey has much to say on the subject of
religions, in which Persia is rich, with its Shiites, Babis,
Nestorians, Chaldees, and Fire-worshippers. He dwells
upon the importance of Ali and the twelve Imams in
Persia, on the popularity of pilgrimages, and on the
extraordinariness of the religious plays which are
performed in the month of Moharrem, one of which
he translates. The chapter on the persecution of the
Babis shows how primitive the Persians still remain,
almost as much as the details of harem life do.
Mr. de Lorey has very wisely devoted a large
portion of his attention to the position of women in
Persia. His account of the Teheran Palace of the
King of Kings ; of the Peacock Throne whose jewels
are valued at six millions sterling ; of the huge terrestrial
globe made of solid gold encrusted with jewels ; of the
Shah's diplomatic receptions and reviews of his troops,
^— will have less fascination for many a reader than the
detailed account of his harem, derived from the doctor
of his favourite wife. The many pages which deal
with the harem of the Shah and the harems of his
subjects are rich in queer things, but then, if ever a

PREFACE

XI

book was exactly named, this is. It is full of queer
facts about street dogs ; hashish-smoking ; the tricks
of Dervishes ; the management of water-pipes (kalyari) ;
the odd garments of both men and women ; the Per
sian tea-house ; the educated nightingale ; musicians ;
acrobats ; wrestlers ; the dancers in the harems ; Persian
food, pilaws and chilaws, and the deadly cucumber
and curds ; banquets ; gambling ; the Persian's un
rivalled skill in lying ; his ideas upon woman's beauty ;
the language of flowers, vegetables, and spices ; the
punishments of women ; temporary marriages ; Persian
weddings, divorces and polygamy ; the Shah's unique
sleeping arrangements ; the charms taken by women in
order to have children ; old women go-betweens ; the
Shah's craze for novelties and being photographed ; the
suite of thousands that accompanies the Shah when he
is travelling ; the fate of reforms ; the newspaper which
only lived a day ; the religious conspiracy (or revolt)
against the tobacco concession ; the Shah's letter-boxes
and telephone offices for complaints from his subjects ;
the Persian's idea of water- works and gas-works ; his
system for robbing the mails ; his calendar and his faith
in astrologers. The late Shah appears in a hundred
different aspects : now as holding auctions in bazars,
now as putting off the races to which he has asked the
whole diplomatic body, because he has sneezed once and
he is unable to sneeze twice.
Atmosphere is what Mr. de Lorey aimed at.
In this book no attempt has been made to give an

xii PREFACE
exhaustive account of Persia. Mr. de Lorey's aim has
been to present Persia as it presented itself to the eyes
of one who in the earliest years of manhood was thrown
by the chances of diplomatic life into daily contact
with an ancient and effete civilisation, which was
generally most comic when it was meant to be
serious. Sheltered by diplomatic jealousies, the Sick Man of
the Middle East, like the sick men of Turkey in the Near
East, and China in the Far East, has not yet felt obliged
to put his house in order. His soldiers, though armed
with rifles and clothed with theatrical copies of European
uniforms, are still disorderly levies ; his Parliament,
which has begun so well, is only a creation of yesterday ;
and his highest moments of religious exaltation are at
the extraordinary religious drama, in which the murder
of the family of Ali is enacted for the edification
of the orthodox Shiite, with such a small regard for
probabilities that the actors, who are taking the parts
of the murderers, forget themselves, and join in the
groans and tears of the audience over the death of
the Imam. DOUGLAS SLADEN.

POSTSCRIPTUM
As the book was going to press, Mr. de Lorey had
the good fortune to meet a Persian Diplomatist of
the highest rank, who had just arrived in Europe from

PREFACE xiii
his native country. He had some surprising dis
closures to make. " If I had not seen these things," he
exclaimed vehemently, " I could not have believed them
myself!" The Revolution that took place a few months ago,
contrary to all expectations, has been a reality. The
Clergy, who had always been against every kind of
reform, have been found in the van of the present
movement. The least-suspected Mollahs have suddenly
thrown away the mask of dissimulation, and have shown
that they had progressive ideas and a knowledge of
modern world - politics of which no one would have
suspected them. Parliament, which was regarded by
Europeans as a pale reflection of the ineffective Russian
Duma, is proving fruitful. Several very important
reforms have already been inaugurated, the most extra
ordinary of which is the liberty of the Press. Thanks
to this, from day to day sixty papers have sprung
up, in which even the Shah, who has hitherto been
sacred, is openly criticised. Another not less astounding
reform is the foundation of schools for girls in Persia,
because the idea of allowing women to be really
instructed is completely foreign to the old Persian.
The Shah is frightened by the swiftness of events, and
has recalled from exile to his aid the strongest man of
Persia, Amin-es-Sultan, the former Grand Vizier, who,
in spite of four years' travel over the world, remains
true to the old Persian traditions of government,
which he practised for so many years. It will be seen

xiv PREFACE
from this that the Shah's attitude to the reforms seems
to be one of yielding where he cannot refuse. It
remains to be seen whether the aspirations of the
Young Persian party will be strong enough to overcome
his resistance.

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAGE
I. FIRST GLIMPSES OF TEHERAN .... I
II. LEARNING TO SPEAK AND WRITE PERSIAN . .II
III. MY HOUSE IN TEHERAN . . . . 1 7
IV. THE QUESTION OF SERVANTS . . . ¦ 23
V. HORSES AND SPORT . . . . -33
VI. THE STREETS OF TEHERAN . . . -44
VII. DOGS AND DERVISHES . . . . -57
VIII. TYPICAL PERSIANS . . . . .64
IX. A PERSIAN'S DAY . . . . . -73
X. THE CHARACTER OF THE PERSIANS . . -87
XI. THE POSITION OF WOMEN IN PERSIA . . .96
XII. PERSIAN WOMEN AND THEIR DRESS . . . 1 03
XIII. AMUSEMENTS AND PUNISHMENTS OF THE ENDEROUN . Ill
XIV. MARRIAGES AND TEMPORARY MARRIAGES . .120
XV. DIVORCE ....... 133
XVI. POLYGAMY . . . . . 1 40
XVII. THE SHAH'S HAREM . . . . • x53
XVIII. THE SHAH IN HIS PALACE . . . .172
XIX. COURT RECEPTIONS OF THE DIPLOMATIC BODY . -179
XX. THE TRAVELS OF THE SHAH . . . . 185
XXI. GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE . . . . 191
XXH. THE FATE OF REFORMS IN PERSIA . . . 209
XV

CONTENTS

xvi
CHAP. XXIII. BAZARS — I
XXIV. BAZARS — II
XXV. BAZARS — III
XXVI. BAZARS — IV
XXVII. BAZARS — V
XXVIII. RELIGIONS
XXIX. RELIGIOUS PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES — THE
OBER AMMERGAU
XXX. THE BABIS
XXXI. SUPERSTITIONS, ASTROLOGERS, DJINNS
XXXII. BOUND FOR KURDISTAN .

PERSIAN

PAGE 219
228
237
258268
28l
3°7
318
331

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

THE BEAUTIFUL GATE OF TEHERAN
TARTAR TRIBESMEN FROM THE NORTH OF PERSIA
TOMB OF SHAHZADEH HOUSSEIN IN KASVIN .
M. EUSTACHE DE LOREY IN THE COURTYARD OF HIS
HOUSE IN TEHERAN
LAZES OF THE CAUCASUS
A PERSIAN MOSQUE ....
MARCH PAST AT THE RACES OF DOWSHAN-TEPEH
MEIDAN-I-TOUP-KHANEH A MILITARY REVIEW ON THE GREAT SQUARE OF
ISPAHAN .....
DERVAZEH-DOWLEH — A GATE IN TEHERAN, IN WINTER
A DERVISH .....
H. E. ZEHIR-ED-DOWLEH, MASTER OF CEREMONIES
GEORGIAN ....
MINGRELIAN .....
CUPS, SHERBET-SPOON, TEA-CADDY, AND GOULDOUZI
CHARACTERISTIC PERSIAN GARDEN BELONGING TO
H.H. NAIB-ES-SALTANEH .
A HALL IN A PERSIAN PALACE
ROOF TERRACES ....
PERSIAN WOMAN IN HAREM COSTUME WITH A KURDISH
HEADDRESS ....

Frontispiece
Facing page 4
10

IS
22
3° 38
465° 54
6266 72
78
8488
94
100104

xviii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
THE CHADER AND ROUHBAND (OUTDOOR DRESS OF
A Persian woman) . . . . Facing page no
MOSQUE OF KOUM, THE FAVOURITE PILGRIMAGE FOR
PERSIAN WOMEN . . . . . „ II4
A RICH PERSIAN'S HOUSE . . . . „ 1 20
PERSIAN DANCERS FROM ANCIENT PICTURES . . ,,136
A FAMOUS PILGRIMAGE SHRINE NEAR TEHERAN, THE
TOMB OF SHAH ABD-OUL-AZIM, SURROUNDED BY
MOLLAHS AND SEYYEDS . . . . ,,144
JOSEPH ENTERING ZULEIKHA'S HAREM . . „ 148
From an Ancient Painting.
ZIRZAMIN, UNDERGROUND HALL USED IN SUMMER . ,, 1 54
YOUNG DANCER FROM BOKHARA . . . „ 158
THE CELEBRATED DANCERS OF THE SUSMANI TRIBE . „ 1 64
THE FAMOUS PILGRIMAGE SHRINE OF MESHED . ,, 168
JEWELS GIVEN BY THE SHAH OF PERSIA TO THE
SHRINE OF MESHED . . . . ,,174
A TALAR WITH THE CUSTOMARY TANK . . „ 1 76
IMPERIAL JIKA, SET IN THE LARGEST EMERALD IN
THE WORLD AND DIAMOND ORNAMENTS . . „ 182
RECEPTION OF AN AMBASSADOR BY THE SHAH OF
PERSIA ....... 184
From an Ancient Painting.
TOMB OF BAJAZET I., SULTAN OF TURKEY, BUILT BY
SHAH KHODABENDEH NEAR SHAHROUD . . ,,190
WEIGHING TAX MONEY BEFORE THE VIZIERS . . ,,198
COURTYARD OF THE MOSQUE OF KOUM . . „ 210
SABZ-MEIDAN — A SQUARE IN THE BAZAR . . „ 2 20

MOLLAH PREACHING IN A MOSQUE DURING THE HOLY
MONTH OF MOHARREM ....

230

ROCK SCULPTURES BY FETH-ALI-SHAH AT CHECHMEH-
ALI ....... 242

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

xix

CARPET WEAVING IN THE BAZAR
A PERSIAN TRADESMAN
PORTAL OF THE MEDER-I-SHAH MOSQUE
M. E. C. COLLECTION FROM THE BAZAR OF ANTIQUI
TIES AT TEHERAN
RELIGIOUS PROCESSION IN THE BAZAR
THE SABZ-MEIDAN ON THE DAY OF ASHOURA .
KATEL OR MUTILATION OF RELIGIOUS FANATICS
TIFLIS ......
THE TENDOUR. MAKING BREAD IN OURMIAH. COTTON
THRESHING ....

Facing page 254256
,, 262
» 264 2822983°4334

MY ESCORT IN KURDISTAN
BUFFALO FIGHT IN A CHRISTIAN VILLAGE NEAR
OURMIAH .....
PREHISTORIC JUG FOUND AT MARAGHA, AND AN
EMBROIDERY FROM BOKHARA (COLLECTION OF
THE AUTHOR) .....

34° 348
364 376

Old Persian Bookbinding of Firdoustp "Shahnameh.
{From the Collection of the Author.)

qUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
CHAPTER I
FIRST GLIMPSES OF TEHERAN
Teheran has no distant enchanting view. The visions
of minarets, domes, and cypress gardens which make
your heart beat high as you draw near a city of the
fantastic Orient rise not before you, and when at length
she reveals herself at the last turn of the road, she has
nothing to offer but a mud wall, the arch of a gate, and
a fringe of planes and poplars.
That is the first disillusion at the threshold of the
Centre of the Universe. When you have compounded
with the customs agents — there is a tariff for not having
your baggage examined — and are free to enter the
meandering streets, walls of grey mud are your horizon
still, and the people who walk between them wear mud-
coloured clothes. The term khaki is a Persian word
meaning muddy. That is the second disillusion.
After having travelled so far and suffered so many
hardships, I expected my fatigues to be dissipated by
some touch of the Arabian Nights, and felt oppressed

2 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
at the everlasting grey. The long, shady boulevards
only showed me that the Shah had been in Europe ;
I saw little else but dirty soldiers, with uniforms vaguely
copied from the armies of the West, shambling along in
heelless slippers and looking as unmartial as sandwich-
men ; droves of donkeys of the same muddy grey, bowed
down with their burdens of dingy bricks, and dun dogs
grey with dust, which looked askance at a stranger and
grudged him a welcome to that sombre, sad, inhospitable-
looking city of Islam. To complete the gloominess of
the picture, the women, who are the flowers of our
crowds, are in Persia black, shapeless phantoms steal
ing silently along in the shadow of the walls.
The hotel where I put up was a small, one-storeyed
house built round a courtyard with a sunken garden,
and was kept by an Englishman. The rooms were
small but fairly clean, and the food was of no nation
ality. The English thought it might be French, which
would have been an insult to any "chef"; the French
thought it German; the Persian knew that it was not
his. But even that was luxurious for a few days after
the hardships and starvations of the road.
The servants were, of course, natives, and none of
them could speak a word of any intelligible language,
even Persian. They belonged to a Turkish tribe which
rested under the stigma of being honest, which is not
in the category of Persian virtues. Their dress was as
formal as it was filthy, a long dark blue frock-coat with
gilt buttons, and a huge lambskin hat, or kolak.

FIRST GLIMPSES OF TEHERAN 3
As to the guests, they were of all shades, from the
military-looking English superintendent of the Anglo-
Indian Telegraphs to the Polish electrical engineer,
employed as a last resort in repairing the first motor car
that ever struggled through the dust of Persia. Curiously
enough, the language spoken in that English hotel
inhabited by cosmopolitans was French. And if the
French was indifferent, the conversation was brilliant, as
it always is in Persia, thanks to the exhilarating climate.
In the sitting-room, recalling vaguely its prototypes
in Brixton boarding-houses, a piano, tired with excursions
to various harems, was kept in countenance by wax
flowers wedged into beautiful old Persian jars; while
a cuckoo clock contrasted with a finely carved brass
tray of Ispahan.
The grey evening fell on that grey day. I was glad
when I found my head upon my pillow, and, wrapped in
my disenchantment, I went to sleep.
When morning broke, I repeated to myself the words
of the wise Eastern king who gave the world his match
less Book of Psalms : " Heaviness may endure for a
night, but joy cometh in the morning." For the bright
sun of November shone in the pale blue skies. Distant
sounds of music and rejoicing pervaded the atmosphere.
The grey dream flew away like a moth of the night
That sun was the Soleil Roi — the Sun of the East Had
I really taken the first step into the Orient ? A cup of
delicious tea flavoured with Shiraz lemon, brought by a
"smiling slave," answered me in the affirmative.

4 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
I rushed into the street and breathed in the pure air.
It was a long avenue, in which the grey walls on each
side were lost behind a close hedge of trees, planted
haphazard, with elms, mulberries, and poplars, all wooed
into delicate, robes of green by the crystal water running
at their feet.
I went wandering without a guide ; I flew to the
music as an insect flies to a light. I came upon a great
crowd — and pushed my way through it. I must say, to
the honour of that crowd, that they were almost eager to
let me go in front. To my astonishment, I found myself
within twelve paces of the Shah. The Shadow of God
was sitting on a folding carpet-chair with an ineffable
fringe, in the open portal of the Gate of Diamonds, which
leads to the harem. A group of enormously tall eunuchs
made a background with their black robes and resigned
countenances. On his right was one of his young brothers,
dressed as a general ; on his left, one of his sons and a
dwarf ; in front of him he had a cheap folding gipsy table.
His Majesty was staring into vacancy, nervously
pulling his moustaches. He was supposed to be re
viewing some of his troops, who marched past within
a couple of yards of him, headed by their bands, all
playing different tunes, European-Oriental and Oriental-
European at the same time. The soldiers might have
stepped out of an Opera Comique, the filing past was
endless ; the Shah sat like the automaton of a king.
When the review was over I wandered about the
streets. The world was no longer grey. The sun of

wwSiP'-'
Tartar Tribesmen from the north of Persia

FIRST GLIMPSES OF TEHERAN 5
the East had transmuted it, but I could not see in the
people the type of beauty for which Persia is a proverb.
The reason was not far to seek : I soon learned that in
the north of Persia there are very few Persians. The
average inhabitant of these provinces is a mixture of Turk
and Turkoman, with very little Persian in him. These
northern people do not even dress like Persians. Since
the Kajar dynasty came into power, the national costume
has been replaced by ugly frock-coats with full gathered
skirts. In the crowd were a number of the black
phantoms ; they were true daughters of Eve, some of
them, for they lifted the white veils, which hung over
their faces, a little, to watch. But no torturing of my
imagination could poetise creatures as void of form as
the earth on the day of its creation.
As I was going back to the hotel — guessing my way,
because I could not ask anybody — I was suddenly pushed
aside by odd-looking men in gold-laced scarlet liveries
and caps with cockatoo crests made of peacock's feathers.
They were the S hater — i.e. the runners who precede
the carriage ofthe Shah — and soon I saw His Majesty in
a landau, surrounded by troops, on his way, as I after
wards learned, to pay his annual visit to the Grand Vizier.
I made a bow, and was rather astonished at his not
answering it He glared at me without moving. I
learned in time that I ought to be very gratified, for that
it was a great condescension for the Shadow of God to
lower his eyes to regard any human being. In Persia he
never answers a salute in public.

6 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Every year on his birthday the Shah honours the
Grand Vizier with a call. It is a great honour for the
Vizier, but a very expensive one, because first of all he
has to welcome the King of Kings with a present of
gold coins, which cannot be less than a thousand pounds,
and sometimes mounts to two or three thousand. And
secondly, the entire suite of the Shah help themselves to
anything they fancy (which is everything they see).
Knowing this, the Grand Vizier has of course put all
his valuables away, and only very cheap things, bought
for the purpose (as at London sales), are left about for
these locusts.
The Grand Vizier considers these visits as a sort
of tax, and takes them very well. It is not everyone
who comes out of them so well. Sometimes when
the Shah thinks he may do a good bargain he goes
and pays a visit to a very rich man. The present is
discussed in advance by chamberlains ; and some
functionaries have been nearly ruined by the condescen
sion of the sovereign.
With the night came my first experience of the
Arabian Nights : I was invited to an evening party
given by the Grand Vizier to celebrate the birthday of
the Shah.
His palace stands in the new part of Teheran, near
the English and French Legations, in the middle of a
park, between two huge artificial lakes of formal shapes ;
it is two storeys high, built of a kind of marble brought
from the mountains of Elbruz, and erected from the

FIRST GLIMPSES OF TEHERAN 7
designs of a Frenchman living in Teheran, who,
without being an architect, has transformed all the
new architecture of the town. It is surrounded by
colonnades and verandahs. All the park was en-
chantingly illuminated with a profusion of fairy lights
of all colours and Japanese lanterns, and even the
lakes were covered with arabesques of these lights.
It was a really fairy-like sight. A grand sweep of
steps took us to the first floor, where the reception
rooms were. They were huge and gorgeous ; all the
walls were covered with panels of Japanese silk
embroideries, but the curtains, as well as the chairs
and sofas, were Early Victorianly- European. As a
European, I felt ashamed to see how ugly these
things of ours looked in the company of the marvellous
carpets and embroideries of the East Still there were
not very many European things in such bad taste as
you might expect to see in rich Oriental establish
ments, for the Grand Vizier is a man of good taste.
On some of the tables were really beautiful sets of
chessmen, made of ivory and other valuable substances,
on boards of crimson and white — real works of art,
brought from Japan. They were not the only things
which showed what a taste for Japanese things the
Vizier had, for the fireworks, which brought the party
to a conclusion, were specially imported from Japan.
These reception rooms were crowded with Persian
officials in gorgeous cashmere shawls with ornaments
of precious stones, mingled with the diplomatic corps

8 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
in their gold -laced uniforms, and a few European
ladies, amongst whom only the minority were up-to-
date in their costumes, because fashions take several
years to find their way to Persia. There were several
orchestras in the garden and in the rooms, none of
them using native instruments or music ; they were
military bands, and they played our music strictly in
their own way.
A few Europeans were dancing ; the Persians looked
on with astonishment, mixed with a little Eastern
contempt for the dancers, because they cannot imagine
anyone dancing unless he is hired to do it. Dancing
in Persia is not an amusement but a trade. There
was much walking about- and talking and intriguing
going on, because it is a good opportunity to meet
people. Even diplomats do not forget that. It was
more of a spectacle than anything else.
There was a buffet and a supper, served in the
European fashion, and the Grand Vizier took a vast
deal of trouble as host and hostess, for naturally no
Persian woman appears at a public gathering. The
servants were not so gorgeous as one would expect
They were scarcely noticeable, being dressed in very
dark and plain Persian frock-coats, and standing about
they would be taken for guests if it were not for their
humble looks and folded hands.
It was a unique sight ; even with these touches of
Europe I could not but think of the Arabian Nights,
especially when I retired to the balcony to watch the

FIRST GLIMPSES OF TEHERAN 9
fireworks. The skies themselves made the greatest
display with their own fireworks — the stars — and they
seemed to be in competition with the illuminations
of the gardens. I was gazing at stars above and
stars below, when suddenly in the distance, on the
top of the fortifications, some of the most astounding
effects that fire has ever been able to produce kept us
in breathless admiration.
It was on a night like this a few years ago, when
the f6te was at its height, that a courier from the
Shah brought to the same Grand Vizier in the same
palace a letter from His Majesty. It began with
words of thanks : " His Majesty expresses his gratitude
to the man who helped him to ascend the throne, and
who has governed the country so well since that time."
But it added that the cares of State must have been
so heavy for him that a little rest would do him good,
and that he had better go and spend some time in the
country. The Grand Vizier understood what it meant He
was dressed in a pearl embroidered shawl robe, and
wore in his belt the calamdan (in which the Persian
carries his pen and ink) of gold, enamelled, and encrusted
with precious stones, which are the insignia of his office
and rank. He took these off and sent them back to the
Shah, and picking up his seal, which was a sort of seal
of State, broke it The crowd did not know what was
happening. Only a few Ministers, amongst whom were
the British and the Russian, had been apprised of it, and

10 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
they promised their protection to the fallen Vizier, who
knew what had been the fate up to that time of all the
dismissed Viziers — death.
No consideration would have made him drink a cup
of coffee, or even a glass of water.
One of the entertainments of the present evening
was listening to a phonograph which had just been
sent to the Grand Vizier as a present. He was very
keen about it, and himself superintended the manage
ment. He had all the principal ladies, amongst them
the wife of the English Minister, arranged on sofas in
front of it. First he put on a laughing song, which the
Europeans as well as the Persians enjoyed very much.
It was not the same with the next song, a French
music-hall ditty of a decidedly improper character. The
ladies were obliged to smile out of politeness to the
Grand Vizier. Their efforts to conceal their fear of
what might come next — and, in fact, was coming — ¦
were a much better play than you generally get in
Persia. About two the fete was over, and very Occidental
and broken-down-looking cabs were waiting to take us
from that Oriental palace.
I entered the hotel in a very different mood from
the night before : I had lifted a little corner of the veil
of the magaificent East.

Tomb of Shahzadeh Houssein in Kasvin.

CHAPTER II
LEARNING TO SPEAK AND WRITE PERSIAN
Mirza-Ali-Akbar
One of my first occupations was to learn Persian, of
which I had the average insignificant knowledge that
one achieves after having studied it a little in Europe.
As I consider that the first thing to do towards learning
a language is to cultivate the ear, I made an arrangement
with a Mirza (a title given to all people who can
read and write, like the clerks of the Middle Ages)
to come every day to read Persian stories aloud to me
for two hours. He was a Persian of the Gulf or from
the border of Balouchistan, and had spent several years
in India ; he had rather a military appearance and wore a
military cap, and I believe my servants gave him a military
title — called him Captain, or something of the kind.
But the connection was, I believe, purely imaginary.
The most military thing that I noticed about him was his
punctuality : that very often made me furious. He came
regularly at eight o'clock, and after having said good-
morning, in Persian and in English, he sat down on the
floor near my bed, and began to read in a loud and
distinct voice. At first I listened without understanding

12 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
a word ; but little by little words struck me, because they
recurred very often, and then I asked the meaning, and
if it happened by a lucky chance to be one of the words
the Mirza knew in English, I was sure never to forget
its meaning. After a month of that cultivation of my ear, I began
to read with the man stories for little children in a nice
little book, bought in the bazars, with pictures of a
primitiveness that made it a sort of guess-work. I
saved several months' work by the fact that I could
read and write Arabic characters, which the Persians
have used since the Mussulman conquest.
My next and more interesting exercise was to learn
by heart pieces of poetry. The first was a poem by
Sa'di from the Gulistan.
After three months of that impressionist teaching,
when, thanks to the Mirza, I knew enough Persian to
make myself understood with great difficulty, I committed
the ingratitude of thanking him and taking another teacher.
One of the excuses I gave myself was that, being an
opium-smoker, he frightened me ; he had such an alarming
vagueness in his ideas and in his wandering eye. His
successor, Mirza Ali Akbar, had the supreme merit of
being a true Persian, born in Shiraz, the City of the Poets.
He had a very 'poetical turn of mind. He was small
and delicate, not only in build but in manners; and
had a fine aquiline nose, piercing black eyes, a drooping
moustache and a little beard, carefully cut and shorn,
with the edge made more regular by plucking.

LEARNING TO SPEAK PERSIAN 13
He wore the national Persian robes, and had always
in his belt a calamdan for his pens and ink, and a little
roll of paper to write on.
His mind was quite open, and he had not that
loathing for Christians, that feeling of disgust for their
uncleanness, which generally characterise the Shiites.
And though he did not know much about it, he had a
certain admiration for Europe. He was a man of fifty,
married, and the father of a family; a fact which he
never mentioned, probably because he only had daughters.
His striking personality made me take a great liking
to his company ; I engaged him to come every day,
and was glad to find him in my house every time that
I returned to it. He also went for walks with me,
explaining to me many Persian customs and telling me
the names of things as we passed them and of the trees
and flowers, for which he had the love of a true Persian.
He generally carried a bunch in his hands, and very
often when he came he brought me some flowers, an
apple, a pomegranate, or a lime from his native town,
which enjoys the highest reputation. This was to
express welcome.
Though the appointments of that learned man pro
bably did not bring him over four pounds a month, he
was always welLdressed and smoked good cigarettes.
The first book we translated together was the Diary
of Nasr-ed-din Shah's travels in Europe. It was very
curious and interesting to me to observe how the Persian
sovereign looked at our customs ; and I could not help

14 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
smiling when I saw Gladstone called a Vizier, or the
Kaiser a Padishah.
I took down dictation every day, to learn the Persian
spelling and to improve my writing. Mirza Ali Akbar
used to invent stories in which difficult words that
he wanted me to learn occurred often — an excellent
method. To write Persian is quite an art, and since writing
there has as much value as a picture, and even more, it
may fairly be classed among the arts.
The apparatus consists, firstly, of a calamdan — a long,
narrow box with a drawer in it such as children use for
pencils in England, painted with brilliant designs in
lacquer. At one end of it is a little ink-pot and in it
are the calam, the reeds which they use as pens, a pair
of scissors to cut the paper, and a little piece of Indian
ink. Secondly, of a roll of stiff, thick shining paper
looking almost like parchment.
The first thing to learn is how to cut the calam into
a pen. The Persians still use that primitive pen with
which we are familiar in the Bible — the reed. When
you start a new one, it is about a quarter of an inch thick
and eight inches long ; but as you cut it like a pencil,
it grows shorter every day. And learning to cut it
is like learning to tie an evening tie — you spoil many
before you succeed.
The next thing to know is how to prepare the ink.
It is rubbed with water in a saucer and poured into the
ink-pot.

LEARNING TO SPEAK PERSIAN 15
The third thing is how to cut the paper. Persians
attach great importance to this : they cut it the exact
length they require. They are as particular about this
as the English are about paper and envelopes matching.
The fourth thing is how to hold the paper and the
pen, because there are no tables in Persia, and they
write on their hands. The paper is held in a half
cylinder, and as the Persians write from right to left they
let the paper unfold, and when they come to about an
inch and a half from the left-hand edge they let the line
take a bold curve upwards. They always leave a good
margin on the right-hand side, and if they have not
calculated the length of their page well, they end the
letter by writing on the margin, upside down or
diagonally. But they never use the back of the page,
because that would smudge the writing when it is re
versed, being Indian ink.
When a Persian wishes to erase something he has
written, he does not scratch it out, he licks it off with
his tongue.
The average Persian's writing is terribly difficult to
read, very different from print, for he forgets to put in
the points which constitute the difference between the
letters. So, since there is no punctuation in Persian,
reading an ordinary letter is pure guess-work, and few
Europeans ever achieve it.
Of course, Persians have no blotting-paper; they
have not even got so far as using the sand pepper
box. They often embellish their writing by inserting

16 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
words in red ink. They do not sign their letters, but
use a seal, and instead of sealing the foot of the letter
they put the date at the foot and then lick the paper at
the back of the date and impress their seal on it. They
rub the ink into the seal with the finger. They press
the paper into the seal like an antiquarian taking a
rubbing from a brass.
The Persians knew nothing of envelopes until they
were introduced from Europe a few years ago. Their
letters used to be folded and fastened with a wafer.

CHAPTER III

MY HOUSE IN TEHERAN

Europeans live in a special quarter, which was built in
the time of Nasr-ed-din, in the north-eastern part of the
town. First of all a few Legations were built in the Street
of the Legations, which takes its name from them.
Little by little houses for Europeans were erected by
Persians, as no European can own any property in
Persia outside of the Legations. There were very few
houses to let. And it was only with considerable
difficulty, and after seeing several horribly uncom
fortable places, that I settled in a little house belonging
to one of the servants of the British Legation. He was
one of the gkolams of the Legation — a sort of groom
who rides in front of the carriage.
It was in a very narrow cul-de-sac, up which no
carriage could pass, because a little stream was running
down the centre with trees on each side of it There
were, of course, no windows opening on the street The
house was entered through an arched gateway, paved
with cobble-stones and built of red brick, which had a thick
wooden door studded with nails. The stable adjoined the

18 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
gateway on the right, and on the left there was a room for
the guards ; behind there was a square paved courtyard
with flower-beds let into it round the fountain in the
centre. It contained a few acacia trees and many roses.
It had a graceful colonnade on one side, with a sitting-
room leading off it. There were other rooms round the
courtyard, all of about the same size and all equally
uncomfortable and inconvenient, they were so long
and narrow, and consisted chiefly of French windows,
which went down to the floor, and fitted so badly that the
wind and the rain came in. On one side a little staircase
led down to the zirzamin or summer apartment, faced by
the abambar or cistern, where the water is stored, which
comes down from the mountains in subterranean conduits
and is distributed twice a week.
Although there is no real danger for Europeans in
Teheran, it is the custom to have soldiers guarding their
houses. I adopted the custom, and instructed the Mirza
Ali Akbar to go and ask the colonel of the Karaouls
to send me four men, and make a contract with him.
This may appear pompous, but it is not so really. It is
an inexpensive luxury, for the Karaouls receive only one
toman a month each, a toman being four shillings, and
you have to give up to them only the room built
specially for the purpose at the door, which in my house
was in front, corresponding to the stables. This room
was rather large, but its aspect was uninviting, it was so
like the dwelling of a troglodyte, with its walls of mud,
its ceiling consisting only of rough beams which

MY HOUSE IN TEHERAN 19
supported the roof, blackened by smoke and hanging
with cobwebs. Only one little porthole, high up in the
wall, shared with a low door the honour of lighting this
den. The porthole not only admitted light and air, it
also let out the smoke. The room had no proper floor,
but just the unlevelled ground.
I said to the Mirza, " You must offer another room to
these poor men ; I have several rooms that I don't use."
But he answered, " They would much prefer the one
that was designed for them ; they will find it more com
fortable and warmer " ; and he added that it would be
safer for me to keep them as far as possible from my
own apartments, and not even allow them to enter the
courtyard of the house. These precautions appeared to
me at first excessive, for I felt full of compassion for
these primitive men, who certainly had not excited my
admiration at the review of the Shah, where I first saw
them, and where they cut such a sorry figure, in spite of
the new uniforms which had been lent to them by their
chief for the occasion only — about half a day. How
ever, when they came I was quite of the Mirza's opinion.
It is almost impossible to express the mean appearance
of these poor creatures. They were small, ugly, and
dirty in their once brown uniforms, now all frayed and
in holes, made of a stuff of the same family as sack
cloth. The collars and facings were red ; the buttons
gilt, with a worn-out Lion and Sun — called in Persian
Shir-o-Khourshid. On their heads they wore felt kolahs,
the colour of mud, ornamented in front with a huge brass

20 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Lion and Sun. The bulk of their heads were shaved,
leaving two long locks behind the ears. They had belts
of black leather, with long daggers hanging from them
right in front where the buckle should be. Their rifles
were slung on their right shoulders, and their boots were
giveh — sandals of white linen. The ages of these four
soldiers varied from twenty to fifty — one could not
imagine anything less martial ; but these men, with such
a feeble and emaciated appearance, were charged to
protect my person and my goods against dangers which
were, happily, problematical.
They brought with them, as their equipment, quilted
coverlets and gillims, a sort of felt carpets, for their beds.
For their cookery they had earthenware pipkins, the
samovars for their tea, and a few bowls and plates.
I understood at once the object that there was in
keeping them as far as possible from my apartments.
They appeared quite satisfied with the physical comforts
of their room, and went of their own accord to install
themselves. I will say to their credit, that, apart from
the disagreeable smell which exhaled from their dwelling,
and which obliged me to hurry when I passed under the
gateway, I had seldom to complain of them. It is just
to add that I never had any occasion to praise them, for
they rendered not the slightest service, had no picturesque-
ness, no colour, except that of dirt, and even the
monotonous, subdued droning that they chanted in the
evening lacked the charm suggestive of far mysterious
and savage countries which one would have had a right

MY HOUSE IN TEHERAN 21
to expect. They belonged to a Turkish tribe of the
mountains of Azerbeijan, and could speak only their
own dialect. Not a single word of Persian had been
able to lodge in their memories in the many years they
had been quartered in Teheran ; anything nearer brutes
could not be imagined. They had probably some job in
town to increase their income, but there were always one
or two at home to keep an eye on the pot and present
arms with much noise every time that I crossed the
threshold. I never succeeded in penetrating the secret of their
life, though it was so close to mine ; perhaps it had no
secret at all. Their cooking, anyhow, had some, and I
never tried to find it out. Whilst passing I made out
in the obscurity in the middle of the room a little pipkin
upon a fire of dry dung, which emitted an acrid and
disagreeable smoke. This was under the vacant gaze of
a Karaoul, sitting cross-legged and smoking his chibouk.
To the marmite succeeded the samovar — for, like every
body in Persia, the Karaoul drinks a quantity of tea.
They had to find themselves in food.
And this is all I know about these beings, made in
God's image, who kept watch on my life. I tried vainly
to take the interest in them that I should have taken in
watch-dogs. Karaouls also perform the functions of police in the
streets. At every important point of the city there are
Karaoul-Khaneh, a kind of watch-houses, like police-

22 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
stations, full of them. During the night they interrogate
the passers-by as to what they are doing and where they
are going, and in certain parts of the town a password
is required after the sunset. Europeans are exempt from
these vexations ; they enjoy every liberty, and if the
Karaouls see them alone in the streets at night, they
escort them to their houses, without asking if they require
it, in the hope of getting a tip.
On a beautiful night of spring, when I was coming
back alone on foot from a ball, wishing to get a little
fresh air and some exercise, I heard behind me rapid
footsteps. Rather afraid of being pursued by one of the
many madmen who are allowed to go free in all the lands
of Islam, I quickly crossed the avenue and walked near
the wall. The shadow changed its direction, and fled
towards me ; and I saw, shining upon the darkness, the
blade of a curved scimitar. I immediately took guard
with my sticky and was prepared to sell my life dearly,
when I was struck by the immobility of the shadow with
the scimitar. I was more convinced than ever that it was
a madman, and grew very nervous. I did not know
what to do, when I heard the shadow speak the Turkish
dialect, with hoarse, but polite intonations, and I realised
that it was only a Karaoul. I continued my walk home.
The shadow escorted me with a drawn scimitar to my
door, but did not get any tip, for he had killed all the
poetical charm of my walk through that exquisitely
constellated night of spring.

CHAPTER IV
THE QUESTION OF SERVANTS
When I set about providing myself with a servant, I
had one procured for me by an attach^ to the Turkish
Embassy. As I had acquired a smattering of Arabic
during my stay in Tunis and Egypt, he recommended
me a Turkish subject knowing that language, who had
just arrived in Teheran.
He was a Syrian, named Omar, who had gone to
Egypt as a camel-driver's boy, and then been employed
in Cairo to sweep the floor of a dancing den, where
he was noticed by a person of a religious character,
who engaged him to go as his servant to Mecca.
After having endured many fatigues and privations
and much ill-treatment, he got to the Holy City
with the caravan that brought from Cairo the Mahmal,
a sacred carpet sent annually from Egypt to cover
the Kaaba. There his master refused to give him
any wages, so he had to help himself by stealing
little trifles belonging to him, after which he fled to
Jeddah. As he feared that he would be caught by
the Turkish police, he thought it would be safer to
engage himself as a stoker on a ship that was
S3

24 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
leaving for India and the Persian Gulf. This took
him to Bushire.
Allah knows how he managed to get to Teheran
without starving. As the name of Omar is hated in
Persia, he took that of Ali — it was natural for Ali to
follow Omar, as Ali was the successor of Omar in the
Caliphate — and in order to avoid the contempt of the
Shiite, he concealed his Sunnite religious feelings, and
even cursed Omar now and then to avert suspicion.
In Teheran, while passing the entrance to an imposing
house in the avenue of the Legations, he exercised his
knowledge of spelling in reading the Arabic inscription
at the top of the arch, and found out that this was the
seat of the Safir — the Ambassador of the Commander
of the Faithful, his own sovereign. A feeling, if not
of patriotism, of pride at belonging to the country so
grandly represented, recalled to his mind that he was
a Turk. So he crossed the gateway, resumed his name
of Omar and his Sunnite connections, and asked for
protection. The shabbiness of his garments caused him
to be refused admission. But he remained at the gate
until one of the attendants of the Chancellery conde
scended to listen to what he had to say. It happened
that just at this moment I had been asking if I could
find a servant who could speak Arabic.
He was a curious servant, but full of willingness, and
took my corrections so pleasantly that I could not be
angry with him.
After a few weeks he told me he had to go back

THE QUESTION OF SERVANTS 25
to his country, and that his Embassy was going to give
him the money to pay his expenses. The only thing I
could do was to ask him to find me a successor, which
he effected by bringing me one of his Persian friends.
He did not tell me that the applicant had never been
a servant before, but only a tailor's apprentice.
He then left me and went to Resht Some time
afterwards I heard that he had assumed there the rank
and the uniform of a coloneL I never could find out
what decided him to strike out in this line. But thanks
to it, he succeeded in marrying a widow with some
money ; and I daresay that he is now quite a personage
in that city by the Caspian.
His successor, Hassan the tailor, arrived just when
I was getting into my house, but it was not long before
I discovered that he was no good as a servant. He
could only strike respectful attitudes and sew on buttons.
Whenever there was anything very material to be done,
he burst into poetry.
This imposed such limitations on his services — as the
most neglected wardrobe can only require a certain
number of buttons to be sewn on — that I had to deprive
myself of his unique services. When I broke the news to
him he appeared quite indignant, and, bursting into tears,
exclaimed, " But what will become of me now that I
have been eating your salt for such a long time, and
am driven out into the streets? What am I to do?
Where am I to go?"
When I reminded him that he had only been a

26 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
fortnight with me, he answered, " I feel as if I had
been with you for years."
"But," I said, "you are no good."
" How can I be no good after having stayed with
you ? Can you forget what Sa'di said ? — ' A piece of
clay having fallen in the Hammam from my beloved's
hand into mine, I said to it, "Art thou musk or ambergris
that I am drunk with thy perfume, which catches at the
heart?" — It answered, "I was but a worthless piece of
clay, but I was in the company of the rose for a moment.
This companionship transformed me, or else I should
still be the same piece of clay that I was."
After such an argument, I could not do less than
keep him for a week more — a week in which I dis
covered that if he was a poet, he was also a thief.
I missed my silver cigarette case, and I was almost
certain he had stolen it. I called for him and told him,
looking him straight in the eyes, that the silver cigarette
case, which was on such and such a shelf, had fallen
behind the book-case. " You will find it before to-night
... or I shall have to ask the police to come and look
for it." And, to my relief, it was on the shelf when I
returned. But that had awakened my suspicions. When he was
out, I went to visit the servants' quarters, and I noticed
near the petroleum keg a bottle full of liquid. I easily
guessed that that bottle went home with him every night
to fill the lamps of his family ; so I emptied it into
the keg and filled it with water, without saying a word.

THE QUESTION OF SERVANTS 27
JVhen he went away that night, I visited his room to
make sure that the bottle had gone with him, and two
days afterwards I asked him how the lamps had been
burning in his house. He began by being astonished, then
blushed, then laughed, saying, "The Sahib is very clever."
After I had got rid of him, I asked the head servant
of the Legation to find me a good servant, and he said
he had a nephew who was just leaving his situation. I
took him instantly. His name was Abd-Oullah ; he
belonged to a sect called Ali-Oullahi, a Mohammedan
sect, who have mysteries in which fire plays an important
part. Their high priest is said to conjure with it and to
seat himself on it
At the same time I engaged as a valet Mehmed,
who had been serving in a European household.
Contrary to the custom, he had a written character,
which was most satisfactory, which proved to be nearly
true, as Mehmed was as good a servant as Persia can
produce, and he remained with me till I left the country.
When he bought things for me, he only took a reasonable
percentage for himself, perhaps 25 per cent, never more
than 50 per cent, which is considered honest in a country
where servants are accustomed to making it 100 per
cent, before it is considered dishonest. For there is a
code of honour which limits depredations, and a man
who exceeds that limit would be considered a thief even
by his own countrymen.
The youth of Mehmed had been severely tested
with hardships; he had the spirit of adventure which

28 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
distinguishes his countrymen, who do not hesitate to
try anything to succeed in life. A Persian will leave
his native place and travel great distances, but he
hardly ever goes beyond the borders of the sacred
soil of Persia, though he often goes to places of
which he knows nothing except what he has heard in
exaggerated descriptions. He will lend his services as
servant to be taken in the suite of someone going
there, or will follow a caravan, and thus make the
journey without spending any money. Usually, when
he has arrived at the place of his dreams, the
inevitable disappointment succeeds. Being a stranger,
he is] ill received, and robbed in the caravanserai
where he has put up. Realising his position, he then
thinks of finding some fellow -townsmen, and makes
inquiries as to what quarter or caravanserai they
patronise — for everyone of the same town flocks
together. And then, after a fine show of friendship
and effusive greetings, they set to work to rob him
of whatever he has left. They have, however, the
grace to feed him, because they could not allow their
fellow-townsman to die of hunger. This he repays by
rendering them little services.
If he is intelligent, agreeable, and witty, he will
readily be taken as a hanger-on without wages, and
his patron will keep him, feed him, and give him his
old clothes. After this first step into society, he usually
finds various other situations, now climbing, now de
scending in the social scale.

THE QUESTION OF SERVANTS 29
But if everything goes wrong, he at length thinks
of going back to his native place. If he has neither
money nor friends, it will be still more difficult to find
a traveller or a caravan to accompany; and this was
the fate of Mehmed, who, having been told marvels
about Meshed, went there and did not succeed. To
work his return to Teheran, he could only find a very
poor Charvadar, who authorised him to sit on his
tarentass (cart) on the condition of helping him to
take care of his horses, but would not find him in
food. Mehmed had then more than once to eat clay
in the course of his journey to fill his stomach and
appease his hunger; and if he went to sleep during
the journey, the Charvadar woke him brutally, on the
pretext that he was heavier when he slept.
Compared to this, the wage I gave him must have
seemed princely, for I always paid my servants far too
much in my ignorance, as I gave them ten tomans a
month (two pounds), whilst the ordinary servants of
the French Legation only received three or four tomans,
and the natives, of course, paid them less.
On that they had to feed themselves. Their meals
were very simple, and consisted chiefly of bread and
cheese, varied now and then with pilaw. They drank
water and tea. The Persian will take tea all day long ;
it does not cost him much more than a farthing a cup.
They slept in the house in a room without furniture ;
their beds consisted of a piece of felt with a quilt on the
top, which they brought with them.

30 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Abd-Oullah and Mehmed hated each other,, and, as
I remembered the axiom of Augustus — divide in order
to govern — I did not do anything to bring them together.
I had soon to congratulate myself on that policy ; it
may have saved my life.
One day, for example, when I was lunching out, word
was brought to me that my servant Mehmed was waiting
at the door with a very important message for me.
Quite astonished, I went out, and he told me that his
colleague Abd-Oullah had brought a girl into my house,
which was consequently surrounded by a raging mob. '
I felt frightened, for I remembered all I had been
told about Europeans being threatened with death for
affairs with Mussulman women. My first idea was to
go and ask the advice of the native secretary of our
Legation as .to the best way to get out of the situa
tion. I found him at his house, and when I had
explained the situation to him, I saw from his per
plexity that it was a dangerous and important situa
tion. The first thing he told me was not to enter
my house on any pretext before I was sure that the
woman had left. He came with me, and as we
approached, we noticed the crowd filling the street,
gesticulating furiously. But my presence in the street
astonished them. They, of course, thought that I was
within. I sent Mehmed into the house to order
Abd-Oullah to come out and bring the woman.
Abd-Oullah came out, and, Persian-like, said, "But
there is nobody here. You can come up and see."

A Persian Mosque.

THE QUESTION OF SERVANTS 31
But when he saw the crowd, he understood that his
lie was useless, and he began to tremble and beg my
pardon. I said, " Bring out the woman." While he
was fetching her, the native secretary explained to me
that we must protect that woman, for, after all, she
had done me no wrong, and if she were left to the
mercies of the mob, she would be beaten, and Allah
knows what.
I acquiesced, and when the shrinking phantom made
its appearance, the native secretary went up to her
furiously, and said, " I am going to take you to the
police." His rage was simulated to satisfy the mob ;
but as soon as he had dragged her away, he let her
go, and she fled away, thanking him.
The reason why the mob was so furious is because
Christians are impure — and the foulest Mussulman
courtezan is so defiled by the touch of the best Christian,
that she must die unless the man turns Mussulman on
the spot.
To show the intensity of feeling on the subject, I
may quote the instance of a Frenchman who had started
a manufactory of carpets in Kurdistan. In that part of
Persia morals are not so strict He fell in love with a
beautiful young carpet-weaver. Marriage being im
possible between Christians and Mohammedans, she
became his mistress, and no objection was raised in
the country. But, being called by his business to
Teheran for a long time, as he did not want to be
parted from her, and as, at the same time, he was well

32 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
aware of the fanaticism of the capital upon this point,
he conceived the idea of dressing her as a boy, and
she was taken for his servant by people. All went well
until her figure began to betray her, and a servant who
had a grudge against his master happened to notice
it. He went straight to a Mollah to tell him the
scandal : this Mollah jumped at the chance of dis
tinguishing himself, spread the news that an infidel
had outraged the sacred law of Islam by casting his
eyes upon a Mussulman woman, and that the guilty
pair must die.
A crowd rapidly surrounded him, and he marched at
their head to the house of the accused. The crowd
thundered at the gate. But in Persia gates are strong,
and there are no windows giving on the street ; so,
before they could batter their way in, the two culprits
had had time to make their way up to their roof, and
fly along from roof to roof until they arrived at the
house of the Moujtehid, the chief priest of Teheran,
who explained to him that the only way to save the
life of the girl and himself was to turn Mussulman;
that in this case he would protect him, but that in
the other case he would be the first to draw the dagger.
In the face of such an argument, there was nothing else
to be done, brave as the Frenchman was.
To his credit be it said that he remained a
Mussulman. They had several children, now in good
positions in Teheran, one of them being married to
a princess of the Imperial house.

CHAPTER V

HORSES AND SPORT

Riding is not only a sport in Persia, but a necessity ;
and as I am very fond of horses, I lost no time about
stocking my stables. I bought a Karabagh horse, very
like an English hunter ; it had the beautiful arched neck
and sweeping tail which the Persians esteem so highly.
It was about the size of a polo pony, and was quite
as clever. I also bought a horse for Abd-Oullah.
This horse was, of course, of a stronger build, not so
well bred. Ordinary horses are very cheap in Persia,
but a choice animal with a good pedigree fetches a
high figure. I do not say "pedigree." All horses
there have pedigrees — a copy of it is attached to the
plaits of its mane when the animal is sold.
My stable (tavileh) was a huge room with holes
in the wall in the shape of a "V" to act as mangers.
The horses were tethered by the hind leg to a ring in
the floor by a hobble made of goat's hair. They were
not fed in the same way as they are in Europe : no
oats were given to them ; they had barley instead, which
was mixed with chaff, called in Persian kah, cut in
lengths of about two inches. It was given to them
3

34 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
twice a day, about two pounds in the morning and
three in the evening. Nor did they have any hay,
but as much of this kah as they could consume.
Every year for one month in spring they were
given green fodder. This is called sabzi, and is either
clover or young barley cut and at first mixed with kah,
the quantity of which was diminished gradually till it was
entirely eliminated. The same thing happened with the
barley, which little by little was also omitted.
The horses were very fond of that diet. To cut this
sabzi the grooms used a sickle, a very primitive tool,
whose handle they put between their knees after seat
ing themselves in the Persian way. They cut it three
or four inches long.
Abd-Oullah asserted that eating this green fodder
made the horses' teeth blunt. This is why, when the
end of the diet came, he introduced into the sabzi a
little wet kah and barley that he had steeped in water
some hours before to make it soft, in order that the
teeth of the horse might not be tried. All Persians do
this, so there must be some reason for it
Then the diet began again in the other direction, till
he gave no more sabzi.
In certain parts of the country where grapes are
abundant, the diet of sabzi is varied with a diet of
raisins. The result of these diets, whether it benefits
the health or not, is to make the horses grow fat.
During that time they have to be indulged, and
worked very little ; Abd-Oullah only allowed me very

HORSES AND SPORT 35
short rides at a walking pace. That complicated our
spring picnics a good deal. We were obliged to go
to the gardens nearest the town, for all the horses of
the city were under the treatment at the same time.
There is no straw litter for horses in Persia; it is
made of dung previously dried in the sun. This makes
a very soft, if not very fragrant, bed. Every day it is
taken out and put back in the evening, arranged like
a parterre round the horse.
With Persian servants your horses have to take
their meals in your presence ; otherwise the servants
sell the barley. At first, after I had seen the barley
given to the horses, I used to go away, but as I noticed
that the horses were growing weak and stumbled, my
suspicions were awakened. So once I made a pretence at
departure and came back a few minutes after the barley
had been given : the horse was just picking up the last
grains, but the confusion of Abd-Oullah when I looked
straight at him showed me that something wrong was
going on, and I examined the premises. At length
I espied in a dark corner a little sack containing the
barley of which he had robbed the horse the moment
I had departed ; it was going to be sold. In Persia
this offence is too ordinary to be considered a reason
for dismissal.
The horses are very much wrapped up in Persia.
The horse is first enveloped in the pirkan, a coat
of wool, which covers it completely. It is crossed on the
chest On the top of it is put the foul, a covering of the

36 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
same shape as the pirhan but of a harder stuff, and often
lined with felt. Then the horse is covered with a named
of felt, bigger than the other coverings, which it hides
completely. It is long enough to cover the neck and
the head, but is only used for this when the horse sleeps
out of doors — as all horses do in the summer ; at other
times the named is turned over on the back of the horse.
The named is three-quarters of an inch thick ; it is of
a dark khaki colour and made of the same felt that
is used for carpets in the tents of the nomads, and for
the head-gear of peasants, which is called kolah namedy.
In Persia horses are ridden very young. An
Asp-i-noh-zin horse new to the saddle is barely
two years old. In consequence they age quickly.
When their teeth are in a bad state they are fed with
navalla, made of barley flour and water rolled into
balls. These navalla are also used in the journeys
across desert, barley flour being less bulky than the
barley itself, and the food being more digestive and
nourishing. It is also the ordinary food of camels.
The Shah has in all the principal provinces of Persia
important stud stables, at which the best breeds of horses
are raised. There is also one in Teheran which is under
the administration of the Mirakhor (Lord of the Manger)
— a sort of Master of the Horse.
The Shah often makes a present of a horse. He gives
a written order on the Mirakhor, in which the value
of the horse presented is indicated. But the Mirakhor
generally takes no notice of that, and sends a horse of

HORSES AND SPORT 37
no value ; and you have to make a handsome present of
money to the man who brings it. These presents of the
Shah are often burdens rather than advantages for the
people who are not powerful enough to awe the Mirakhor.
As might have been expected, races are a notable
institution in Persia. The Shah himself takes a great
interest in them, and has many horses trained for them
every year.
To train horses for racing, Persians keep them from
sleeping; they load them with blankets and nameds to
sweat them, and they are ridden by little boys who never
let them stop still, but walk them about all day long.
This regime makes them thin very rapidly.
The races are a Court function. The Shah and all
the court are always present, and so are the Diplomatic
body and the other most influential foreigners.
The meeting takes place at the back of the castle of
Dowshantepeh. Marquees are erected lined with hand
some velvets and silks. That of the Shah himself is red
outside. It is erected on the top of a little natural rise
of stones. His Majesty sits in an arm-chair with a telescope,
like an admiral's, whilst all his court is standing behind,
except the Grand Vizier, who stands by his side. They
have to stand thus for several hours.
The horses, instead of running short distances as
they do in Europe, run sometimes ten or fifteen miles,
which makes the race very dull and as difficult to follow
as a yacht race. This is why dancers and musicians

38 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
are performing in front of the Shah during the race.
As soon as the horses have passed the Royal tent in each
lap, the dancers begin again, though occasionally the
Shadow of God takes a squint through his telescope at
the progress of the race.
When the horses are coming round at the last lap,
everyone gets frantically excited, though it is always a
horse belonging to the Shah which wins. Men with
sticks are waiting near the winning post to stop any
other horse which threatens the legitimate result
If by any chance they fail to stop it, the unfortunate
owner is obliged by etiquette to present the horse to His
Majesty, in order that the winner may belong to the Shah
in the orthodox way. When the winning horse nears
the Shah's tent, he turns and climbs the platform into the
Royal presence
One wonders how they manage the betting. After
the meeting is concluded, there is a highly picturesque
procession of horsemen and camel-riders back to the town.
There is a general rush, like we have at the end of our
races ; but in Persia the crowds are lost in such clouds
of dust as could hardly be seen elsewhere.
Good horsemanship is common in Persia. Not only
does the national disposition of the Persian contribute to
this, but also the way in which the babies are carried
pick-a-back by their mothers. This strengthens the
muscles of their legs and gives them a fine grip. Even
among the lower classes it is more than rare to find a
bad horseman, and a priori among the upper classes.

March past at the races of Dowshan-Tepeh.

HORSES AND SPORT 39
This is why they cannot understand a foreigner of
position who is sent by his sovereign to represent him —
or, to take the Persian's point of view, sent as a " hostage
to the Shah " — not being able to ride.
Once the secretary of a Legation, who was a bad
horseman, was riding ; when trying a timid gallop on a
stony road, his horse, which he was not keeping well in
hand, stumbled on a loose stone and sent him flying over
his head on to the ground.
A crowd gathered round him, jeering. His Persian
servant, who was riding behind him, dismounted, and, full
of confusion — for his master's humiliation was reflected on
him — helped him to get up, and addressed a few words to
his fellow-countrymen.When they had resumed their ride, this time at a
slow trot, the servant said to his master, " Don't be
afraid, sir. I have arranged everything so that no shame
may fall upon your head. I said to the Persians who
saw you fall that you were a splendid horseman, like all
your countrymen, but that you were drunk to-day."
The horse enters into the life of the Persians as much
as the Arabs. Many of their stories prove this. Abd-
Oullah had a favourite story about the sheik of a tribe
of Arabistan, a province of Southern Persia, who had a
very remarkable breed of horses. His most beautiful
mare disappeared one day, he could not find out how,
and he was inconsolable.
His daughter, a rare. beauty, with eyes like a gazelle,
was loved by a young man of a neighbouring tribe.

40 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Beauties, even among the nomad tribes, are never
allowed to be seen, but the fame of their charms is
bruited abroad by the women, and men fall in love with
the idea. In this instance the young man was more
fortunate : he found the means to make advances to her,
which were well received. But the father would not
consent to the marriage. They therefore plotted to
gether, and the young man carried her off on his saddle
bow. But they were discovered and pursued by the
sheik and his men, who could not overtake the fugitives,
whose mount was exceedingly swift, and who were soon
out of sight.
After a long search, the sheik learned that this
wonderful animal was the mare that had been stolen
from him for the purpose of the elopement. Then he
was quite pleased, for he could never have survived the
shame of his favourite being beaten even by another of
his own horses. So he sent envoys to the young man
and made peace with him, and asked as the price of
his paternal blessing the return of the mare, to whom
he attached far more value than to his daughter.
The new Shah, like all his ancestors, is devoted to
hunting and shooting. He showed this when he was
governor at Tabriz, where he had excellent shooting,
even bears.
Now he will have the advantage of the magnificent
shooting grounds where his grandfather spent so much
of his time.
Amongst the best places for shooting in Persia is

HORSES AND SPORT 41
Jaje Roud, on the road to Meshed- i-sar, in the foothills
of the Elbruz mountains, three hours from Teheran.
It is a hunting box. The house is situated on the
right bank of the river Jaje (Roud means river), on
an eminence, and is surrounded by outbuildings for the
suite. The whole countryside is strictly preserved ; only
the Shah and his guests ever hunt or shoot in this
demesne. There only can be found a species of game
that none but His Majesty is permitted to shoot. This
sacred game is the francolin, a bird introduced from
Arabia. It is so difficult to acclimatise there, that the
Shah himself often forbears to shoot it.
The principal game at Jaje Roud are the bouquetin
and moufflon. Both are very shy and difficult to
approach. Beaters are sent in all directions, and
often several days pass before a herd of them is
sighted. While waiting, His Majesty shoots commoner game,
such as wild boars, or hares, but without much interest,
as they are so numerous ; their meat being impure and
prohibited by the Koran, they are left where they are
killed, like rabbits in Australia.
For the moufflon the Shah and his suite post
themselves behind the rocks on an eminence on the side
away from the wind commanding a gorge. The beaters,
who are on horseback, have to drive the game very
cautiously in order not to frighten them too much, for
the moufflon are extraordinarily active, and might break
back if desperate. When the moufflon come within

42 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
range the Shah shoots first; then, a few seconds after,
everybody else fires at the same time, .... and the
moufflon go away.
Foxes are also to be found in these districts, and a
few panthers and leopards. The Shah hunts the latter
like foxes and with great intrepidity. When in the
chase a panther takes refuge in a cave, a courtier, eager
to win the Shah's favour, dashes in at the risk of his life
to drive it out. When a panther, or even a moufflon,
is killed, the Shah always has his photograph taken
beside it.
In the plains round Teheran the Shah goes out
hawking. It is a very picturesque sight, reminding
one of the Middle Ages in Europe, when Frederic
of Hohenstaufen, "the Wonder of the World," rode
out with his falconers in the Conca d'Oro of
Sicily. There are several sorts of falcons : the very large
ones for coursing gazelles — these are almost eagles ; the
middle-sized falcons are used for coursing herons, cranes,
and hares ; another kind, a little smaller, are used for
partridges; and there are small ones used for quail.
These last have a unique feature — in order to make
them swoop straighter, their own tails are taken out and
replaced by longer feathers taken from the tail of a wild
hawk, bluish in colour, which gives them a most extra
ordinary appearance.
The game coursed with falcons in the plains round
Teheran are chiefly a red-plumaged partridge and little

HORSES AND SPORT 43
grey ones called by the curious name of tihou, from
their cry, like the English peewit.
Greyhounds are used for coursing of another kind.
The aristocratic and wealthy Persian is a great
sportsman.

CHAPTER VI

THE STREETS OF TEHERAN

Teheran does not offer as much interest as many
other Persian towns, because it is virtually a new town.
There is not an ancient monument in the whole city.
In spite of having been given the rank of city by
Shah Tahmasp, the second of the Sefavi dynasty, it
has only really been a city since Agha-Mohammed,
founder of the present Kajar dynasty, established his
residence in Teheran in 1795. Since it is not far
from the mountains of Khorassan, and upon the road
to his native country, Asterabad, which he could easily
reach in case of danger, this town offered the best
guarantees for his safety.
Six sovereigns have reigned there : Agha-Moham
med (1795 -1797); Fath Ali Shah (1797 -1834);
Mohammed Shah (1834-48); Nasr-ed-din Shah (1848-
96); Muzaffer-ed-din (1896-1907) ; and Mohammed Ali
Shah, the present sovereign. All of his predecessors
have contributed to its embellishment, but it is, above
all, Nasr-ed-din who must be considered the Haussmann
of Teheran. He constructed numerous edifices, and,
without damaging its picturesque old quarter, built a

THE STREETS OF TEHERAN 45
quarter in the European fashion, with large avenues
planted with trees. The trees of the avenues have
quite a character of their own, because, instead of being
planted regularly like ours, they are dotted about, with
their roots running down to a conduit of rapidly flowing
water. The effect is charming, for the variety of species
gives an impromptu effect to the curtain of verdure
which conceals, very happily, the mud walls without
windows that form the background of every Persian
street Teheran, however, earned the title of capital during
the Afghan invasion and under the reign of the later
Sefavi kings. But that was of such short duration, and
during such a troublous period, that nothing of any
importance remains of the Sefavi city.
Going farther back, one finds it mentioned in the
seventeenth century by Pietro della Valle (1618), an
Italian traveller, who calls it the City of the Planes,
because of the quantity of these trees, whose tops rise
above every part of the town. He says there is no
edifice or any other object worthy of remark. It is also
mentioned by Sir Thomas Herbert (1627).
Mirza Ali Akbar, of whom I asked some particulars
about the history of Teheran, made me translate the
following passage from an old Persian chronicler, who
speaks in this way of the inhabitants of Teheran : " They
dwell in subterranean houses like caves. When the
enemy invades the country, they conceal themselves in
these places of refuge, from which it is impossible to

46 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
expel them, even if they are blockaded for several con
secutive days. As soon as the invaders have departed,
they come out of their hiding-places, and begin to
pillage and assassinate on the roads. They are con
stantly in a state of insurrection and revolt against their
sovereign. " There are in this district twelve hamlets always at
war one with the other. When they seem ready to
obey the Sultan, the governor assembles the chiefs of
the district to ask them to pay the tribute. If they
consent, one brings a cock, the other a hen, and they
say, there is the value of a dinar. And that is the only
way in which they pay tribute.
"They labour in the fields with a mattock or hoe,
instead of oxen, because they fear that the tax collector
would take these animals away. It is for the same
reason that they never use any beasts of burden.
Their country is very fertile, especially in fruits, which
are of such beauty that their equal is never to be found
in other countries."
The savageness of the Teheranese has disappeared
in the course of time, and the fruits have lost some
of their reputation. They are, however, still excellent,
but must yield the palm to those of Ispahan.
The principal avenue of modern Teheran is the
Khiaban-Ala-ed-Dowleh, called by the Europeans Rue
des Legations, which begins at the English Legation
and ends at the Meidan-i-Toup-Khaneh.
This place is not so imposing as it appears in the

McitLin i I uup K hiiiu-li. The Piccadilly Circus of Teheran.

THE STREETS OF TEHERAN 47
illustration. It is a sort of junction for all the principal
streets of the new quarter. It takes its name from the
row of guns which surrounds a square basin, and from
the presence, in one corner of it, of the arsenal (Toup-
Khaneh in Persian). It is surrounded by buildings like
the colonnades of an Italian piazza. The arcades are
in two storeys, the lower closed by doors like coach
houses, the upper filled with windows of three lights,
contained in arches, each of which has its upper part
filled in and painted white in order to throw up the
Persian Lion and Sun, in yellow. Each column is
painted a different colour, without the slightest attempt
to harmonise them. These enormous buildings, used
as barracks, are almost as flimsy in their materials
as the pasteboard palaces of an exhibition. The
Minister of Public Buildings wanted to make with
them an impression of vast expenditure on the Shah
to cover his peculations.
At the west end the architecture of the beautiful
building of the Bank of Persia, covered with coloured
tiles, redeems the effect of the square. This building is
one of the most charming in Teheran, with its arcaded
balconies and fantastic gables
It is on the Meidan-Toup-Khaneh that " civilisation "
has stamped itself most strongly of anywhere in Teheran.
Here is the centre for tramways and cabs ; here are the
Imperial bank and the telegraph office connected with
the two European systems. The tramways have taken
very well in Teheran. The company was started by

48 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Belgians, who bought the concession from a Frenchman,
M. Boital.
The cabs are a most promiscuous assemblage,
broken-down caleches brought from Russia, which the
Persians call caleskeh. They cost two krans the course
— about tenpence — if it does not take more than an
hour. By the hour costs in proportion. The caleskeji,
or coachmen, are dressed like Cossacks — probably
because they are generally men of the Caucasus.
There are six gates to the Meidan-i-Toup-Khaneh :
one for the Rue des Legations, at the north-east ; one
at the north-west, leading to Khiaban-i-Lalezar, the
Street of the Tulips ; one at the east, opening on to
the Meidan Maksh, or Place d'Armes ; one at the
south, opening into the Khiaban-Almasieh (the Street
of the Diamonds) ; one at the south-west, opening into
the Khiaban Nasserieh ; and one at the west, opening
into the Khiaban Shimran, which the Europeans called
Rue du Gaz because the gasworks are in it.
The Meidan-i-Maksh is a huge square surrounded
by walls lined with arches all round the inner face ;
the arches have no apparent use but decoration, but
they really act in place of buttresses ; without them the
wall, being built of mud, would collapse.
In the centre of each side is a building that looks
like a polo pavilion — and, as a matter of fact, polo is
played in this square by the English residents. But
the resemblance is only accidental. The balconies are
for watching the evolutions of the military, which take

THE STREETS OF TEHERAN 49
place here. Every morning the soldiers come at eight
o'clock, some from the barracks, but the majority of
them from their own dwellings. For, as they are paid
very irregularly, if paid at all, they have to earn their
living in civilian employments. They are largely butcher
boys, a fact which perhaps gives them the most valuable
part of their training.
Many also are money-changers.
These soldiers keep their uniforms in their places
of business, and wear a sort of dagger in front. As
the uniforms have a habit of coming to pieces, they
wear ordinary clothes, generally of the most unmartial
appearance, under or over them, as may be most
convenient. Their drill is under the exalted supervision of a
few European officers. One of them is an Austrian,
Baron Wagner von Wetterstead, whose huge stiff
mustachios, rivalling those of Nadir Shah, make a
great impression on the men. Another is General
Maletta, an Italian who has been in the Egyptian
army. The uniform these officers wear is Austrian.
They make the very most of their materials, and
drill the soldiers in the European way. But, as might
be expected, they have many difficulties to contend
with. Still, things are much better than they used
to be, thanks to their ability and earnestness. Some
of their predecessors were not so conscientious. One
of them, who had come to Teheran without having
made up his mind as to what employment he should
4

50 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
demand of the Shah, was a man of superb physique,
a great athlete. The Shah saw that he must be a
redoubtable fighter, and, with the Persian idea of the
commander of an army, at once made him a general
solely on the strength of his physique. He was thankful
for his good fortune, and, wishing to show his con
scientiousness, arrived every morning dressed in a
gorgeous uniform at the Meidan Maksh, drew his
sword with a magnificent sweep, and held it high in
the air. This was the sign for the bugle to sound
the assembly and the drill to begin, while the general
ambled round the square looking at his watch. When
it was ten o'clock, he drew his sword with the same
grand gesture, the bugle sounded again, and everybody
went home.
After several years of this severe service, the Govern
ment gave him a pension.
The character of the instruction makes very little
difference to the Persian army, for the only soldiers
who are worth anything are wild tribesmen, who use
their own methods. No training whatever could prevent
the average Persian soldier from being a coward and
running away at the first hint of danger, and I have
always wondered how Nadir Shah was able to conquer
India with such men. There must, of course, have
been large numbers of Bakhtiaris, Kurds, and Turko
mans, who are dashing fighters, in his army.
There is an anecdote told of Nadir Shah's soldiers
from Kashan and Ispahan. When that conqueror led

THE STREETS OF TEHERAN 51
his victorious army back from India, he dismissed to their
homes thirty thousand men belonging to these districts.
They asked for an escort of a hundred more warlike
soldiers before they would start "Would to God I
was a robber again," said the scornful emperor, "that
I might waylay you and plunder you."
The only regiment in Teheran which counts at all,
militarily speaking, is a regiment of Persian Cossacks
recruited from the north-western tribes of Persia,
commanded by Russian officers and wearing the same
dress as the Russian Cossacks. Their chief colonel,
Kosakoffsky, is very popular in Teheran. Each Lega
tion has a certain number of men of this regiment as
a bodyguard. The Shah holds reviews in the Meidan Maksh ;
they consist of parades and marches and feats of
horsemanship. One of the Russian colonels of Cossacks, who is a
remarkable horseman, once had the unfortunate ambition
to show his ability at a review. It is a custom with the
Cossacks in Russia to salute the personage for whom
the review is being held by riding up at full gallop
till within a few yards of him. The horse is then
reined up sharply and stops dead. The colonel wished
to salute the Shah in this way, and, going to the end
of the Meidan, spurred his horse into a gallop. The
Shah, not understanding what he meant, when he saw
the horse thundering at him, with the colonel standing
on his stirrups and whizzing his sword round his head,

52 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
thought an attempt was being made upon his life, and
ran away. The chief of the police rushed on the
officer, who hastened to explain his intentions ; but
the Shah never could get over a feeling of nervous
ness when he saw that man, who was shortly afterwards
replaced by Colonel Kosakoffsky.
It is in the Meidan Maksh that executions take place.
There were, as far as I know, none in the reign of
Muzaffer-ed-din, except that of the murderer of his father,
who was hanged on a gibbet of the football-goal pattern
which is in vogue in the Orient — an exceptionally high
gibbet, where the executed could be left for a week or
more as an example.
The Khiaban Nasserieh leads to the bazar, passing
along by the wall of the palace. On the right stands
the Dar-ul-fonoun — the Gate of Knowledge — the Poly
technic School, in which young Persians are taught all
sorts of sciences by native and European teachers. It is
conducted on the lines of the French polytechnic schools.
Everything is taught there, even music. There, very
young boys, recruited for the military bands, are instructed
under the high direction of a bandmaster-general, a
Frenchman, Le General Lemaire, formerly assistant
bandmaster in a French regiment, at about six pounds
a month. He took the title of general, and wears the
uniform of a French general officer.
There are a quantity of military bands in Teheran,
and one of the ordinary features of these bands is that
you see musicians of from twelve to over fifty-five years

THE STREETS OF TEHERAN 53
old playing in them, while by no means the smallest
instruments are given to the smallest boys. You see a
fat man of forty playing a flute next to a dear little
boy puffing out his cheeks at a trombone. The best
band is that of the Cossacks.
All these bands are used in the Legations to play
during dinners or at fetes. On the arrival of the foreign
Ministers, as each carriage drives up the National
Anthem of its country is played in a manner that gives
local colour with a vengeance.
It is in the Khiaban-i-Shimran that you find the gas
works. They were established by a Frenchman to whom
the concession of the lighting of the streets had been
given. A hideous building with a hugely high chimney
was built, and mains were laid in the principal streets,
and lamp-posts of the European type erected. But after
it had been working for a few days, they found it so
expensive that they did not make any more gas, but put
on each lamp-post a petroleum lamp. Now the gas
works are used as a depdt for the coal, which is brought
on the back of donkeys from mines not far from Teheran.
The Khiaban -i-Almasieh is the most picturesque
avenue of Teheran. It begins at a monumental gate,
with its great arch set in tiles that flash like jewels,
flanked by double arches not less rich and crowned by a
delicate arcade filled in with sapphire sky as clear as
glass, and ends at the principal gate of the Imperial
Enderoun, Dervazeh Almas — the Gate of Diamonds —
so called because of the looking-glasses cut in the shape

54 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
of diamonds, shining in the' sun, which ornament its bright
red facade.
It is in this avenue that the most beautiful trees of
Teheran are found — huge trees, between which roses,
apricots, and peaches let fall into the stream of clear
water, which runs down it, the petals of their fragrant
blossoms. There are all sorts of things to be seen in this short
avenue. There is the arsenal, whose buildings extend
to the Meidan-i-Toup-Khaneh, where cannon are founded
under the direction of a Frenchman, an ex-workman in
the Toulon arsenal, who has been made a Persian
colonel. There are shops, like those in the bazar,
hidden in the foliage of the trees : in some of them
cabinetmakers make their precious coffers of sandal
wood, ornamented with minute mosaics encrusted with
ivory, ebony, and brass or gold, called khatem ; others
are occupied by merchants of stuffs and spices ; and in
one of them, arranged like a doll's house, is a class of
little boys, learning to intone the Koran with the proper
movements of their bodies. They sway them to their
chanting, under the vigilant direction of an old Mollah
with a gigantic turban.
At the end of the avenue, on the left hand, is the
residence of one who was a prime favourite of Muzaffer-
ed-din Shah — his doctor, Hakim-el-Moulk, Minister of
the Court and of Public Works.
Crossing the end, at right angles, is the Street of
the Enderoun, which runs all along the residences of the

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THE STREETS OF TEHERAN 55
Shah's wives. Turning into the right-hand portion of
this street, after proceeding a few yards you turn to the
left into the Street of the Naib-es-Saltaneh, and pass in
front of the palace of Shoa-es-Saltaneh, the second
son of Muzaffer-ed-din, in front of which is the
Otagh-i-Nizam, the Military Chamber, or Ministry of
War, an imposing building in a garden, surrounded by
palings of wood, painted green, through which one can
perceive the numerous generals of all ages coming to
inquire what chance there is of getting their pay.
This street leads to a very picturesque square, called
Meidan-i-Shah, or Meidan- Ark — a square almost entirely
occupied by a huge artificial basin, at the extremity of
which is, upon a platform, the Cannon of Pearls —
Toup-i-Mourvari — taken from the Portuguese at Ormuz
by Shah Abbas. This gun is a place of sanctuary (bast)
for criminals, in the same way that some of the
mosques, the Imperial stable, and the telegraph office are
— anyone who wants to shelter himself from a judge or
from the wrath of the king, has only to climb on that
platform. There he is inviolable. His family or the
passers-by feed him, and he can remain there till his
pardon is granted.
This square is surrounded by gardens : to the north
are the glittering buildings of the Dafterkhaneh, or
Secretariate of State, which contains one of the principal
gates of the palace, that at which the diplomats enter ; on
the top of which is the Bala-khaneh (upper rooms) from
which the Shah shows himself sometimes to his people.

56 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
In front, on the south side, stands the Nagara-khaneh, a
sort of arcade, on the first floor of which, at the rising
and setting of the sun, is played every day the " music
of a thousand years." It is the privilege of the kings of
Persia, going back into the dark ages, probably to the
era of the Zoroastrian kings. It is a sort of salute of
the King of the earth to the King of the skies. The
instruments used are kernas or horns of colossal dimen
sions, which produce hoarse sounds, very vaguely musical,
accentuated by the rattle of drums.
Passing under the archway of the Nagara-khaneh,
one arrives at the Street of Gebbehkhaneh, where the
tram terminus is. In front is the principal entrance of
the bazar, flanked by two towers battlemented and covered
with blue tiles, leading to the Sabz-Meidan (or Squfire of
Verdure), rebuilt by Nasr-ed-din Shah as a mark of
his interest in commerce. In the middle of this square
is a fountain surrounded by trees. On the four sides of
the square are monumental gates, whose beautiful pointed
arches covered with tiles give to the square an effect of
grandeur. All around are shops kept by Armenians,
displaying all sorts of objects imported from Europe.

CHAPTER VII

DOGS AND DERVISHES

There are no vestry arrangements in Teheran, and, as
in Constantinople, it is the dogs that keep the streets
scavenged. These dogs are of a species related to
wolves and jackals, with tawny, bushy fur. They live
in each quarter and important street or square, and form
clans quite distinct from each other ; and if a member of
one of these clans ventures into a street belonging to
another, he is chased with bites by all the members of
the invaded clan, and no consideration would prevent
them from tearing to pieces the intruder, who returns
covered with blood to the territory of his clan. This
is why the dogs that are seen peacefully lying and
sleeping about the street, an occupation in which they
spend the greater part of their time, all of them wear the
marks of these fights — torn ears, gouged-out eyes, and
so on. Most of them are also suffering from mange,
which eats into their bodies, emaciated by irregular diet.
Considering their condition, it is no wonder that the
Persians look upon them as impure. No Mussulman
ever makes a pet of a dog. He keeps it as a useful
beast to guard his house and his garden, and during the
" 67

58 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
night lets it loose on the roof of his house to keep away
robbers. The incessant barking of the dogs on the
roofs, which are the only noises that trouble the silence
of the Oriental night, have given a foundation to the
following legend : —
The jackals of the desert, tired of their privations,
and envying the safe and peaceable life of the town dogs,
their brothers, proposed to them to change situations.
But when the exchange was made, and they had tasted
of the vicissitudes of captivity, they had only one desire
— to go back to the free life of the desert. From the
roofs of their prisons they called for their brothers, but
in vain ; to their barkings of distress the jackals and
hyenas answered only by laughing barks. Since then
every night there can be heard from one side the
tormented bark of the captives, and from the other the
laughter of the free.
The dogs of the streets look with indifference upon
the passing human beings, and do not move to get out
of their way. It is only at the passing of conveyances
that they consent to interrupt their dolce far niente. But
even then they rise only at the last moment, and that
only to move just far enough not to be run over.
However, some of these dogs hate Europeans ; it is
without doubt their instinct which tells them that these
human beings with tight clothes will little by little
destroy the peacefulness of their dominions, with their
carriages, their trams, and the infernal machines they
call motor cars.

DOGS AND DERVISHES 59
There was an old dog in the Street of the Legations
whose hatred for Europeans was as great as that of the
most fanatical amongst the reactionary Mollahs.
He sprang upon all men of the Occident, and many
a trouser has been torn, many a calf bitten by his fangs,
those protectors of the national traditions. But one
European, less patient than the others, freed the quarter
from this dangerous Cerberus, by giving him with a
treacherous hand a piece of poisoned meat.
When an animal died the Teherani used to content
themselves with throwing him out into the street, where
he was devoured by the dogs of the quarter ; but for
some time past there has been an ordinance of the
police compelling people to transport the bodies of dead
animals out of the town. This is why its gates are
smelly with the bodies of dead horses, asses, and
camels, over which the dogs fight with the jackals and
hyenas. One of the most familiar features of the streets in
the East is the dervish. In Persia he is easily distin
guished by several different signs: (i) the taj, or felt
conical cap, embroidered with sentences of the Koran
and names of the Imams, held on by hanging cords ;
(2) the tabar — a sort of mace made of steel, or a heavy
wooden staff, studded with nails or pikes; (3) the
kashkoul — a gourd (or occasionally a cocoanut) sus
pended by chains, for collecting alms ; (4) the guizou,
or long curling hair falling on the shoulders ; (5) the
girdle of cord to which are suspended wooden beads ;

60 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
(6) a panther's or wolfs skin, flung over the shoulders
like a highland shepherd's plaid, with the hair outwards ;
(7) the horn, which he blows violently to call attention
to his approach. And sometimes, over all, he wears a
patchwork cloak, made of all sorts of odd materials.
He sometimes wears sandals and sometimes goes
barefoot. Many dervishes wear an entirely white garment,
which has seldom preserved any of its primitive purity.
They never cut their hair or beards, and some are said
never to eat anything but fruit, proclaiming that to let
the body suffer enriches the soul. "Why should we try
to keep our feeble body clean, knowing that after death
it will become the prey of worms ? "
As a matter of fact, they make no such attempt.
Nor would it be easy with the sort of life they live, as
they spend all their days in the street, and have no
homes except the tents which they pitch against the
walls of the houses of rich people. They are dreamy
and lazy, spending a great deal of their time in smoking
hashish and opium. When anyone passes, they always
shout, hag, hag — truth. They travel from town to town
and village to village : when they have exploited one
place they go to another.
They are more tolerated than liked ; for one who is
a good man, there are many deceivers or thieves. Some
make money out of human credulity by selling talismans
or remedies ; others by telling stories ; and others again
by behaving as if they were mad in order to win more

DOGS AND DERVISHES 61
sympathy and respect And sometimes they really are
mad — the result of hashish and opium. There was one
on the road of Shimran who was quite intoxicated with
opium ; • he used to go about half naked. He had
built a little hut of stones without cement, and had
traced out a garden with stones ; he used to lie con
cealed, and when a traveller passed by, would suddenly
jump up and shout, hag, hag, which startled the horse.
During the holy months the dervishes pitch their tents
at the gates of the richest men in the city. It is a
sort of enforced tax, for they stay there until they have
received the sum of money which they consider he is rich
enough to pay them. The first few days they content
themselves with being very polite to the people of the
house, offering greetings, handing a flower or leaf, or
some fruit; but after a few days, when they think too
little money has been given them, they begin to blow
their horns every minute, and their shouts of hag and
Allah-Akbar make life unbearable. Thanks to these
energetic expedients, it is rare for them not to receive
the tax they have levied. In spite of the nuisance, there
is no attempt to do away with them.
Much knowledge is not required to make a good
dervish : bluff is his strongest weapon ; impudence,
flattery, discrimination of people's character, are more
necessary than learning.
However, it is true that there are men who have
been led by philosophical reasons to take up the profes
sion of dervish, in the proper sense of the word, which

62 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
means poverty, humility, and a disregard for the natural
goods of this life.
I met a man belonging to a rich and powerful family
of Shiraz. He had abandoned his family and given
his goods to the poor, and turned a dervish, because
his convictions led him to believe that this was the true
life. He was a poet of some reputation, and led the
nomad life of ordinary dervishes, begging alms and
smoking opium.
Zehir-ed-Dowleh is also a dervish. It is said that he
has given to the poor the greater part of his wealth. He
affects a very simple life in the midst of his luxurious
palace, and extends his hospitality to every dervish who
comes to him. There is always one with him, keeping
him company till another takes his place.
He is an important member of the dervish com
munity, and assists at the general meetings of the Der
vish Order, which take place in Teheran in the greatest
secrecy. Dervishes are supposed to do good and help
the poor, like the begging friars in Roman Catholic
countries, to which they may in many respects be
compared. There are boy dervishes, who are, as it were, the
novices of the profession. They serve the others, light
their pipes, and learn wisdom and the use of intoxicants :
the wisdom of the street dervish is to enjoy the good
things of life, and banish its sorrows as much as possible.
That is why they avoid having any family.
There was a young woman-dervish also, begging

A Dervish.

DOGS AND DERVISHES 63
and smoking with them, but I don't know how far she
was a member of the order.
One of the most remarkable dervishes of Teheran
was a huge negro of Abyssinia, with his hair trained
up like a cap (see illustration on opposite page). His life
had been one of extraordinary vicissitudes : he had been
brought as a slave from his country when a boy, and,
thanks to his beautiful appearance and his strength, had
been bought by a Kajar prince to ride with him as an
attendant. After this he attracted the notice of a wealthy
widow, who married him. During her lifetime his gor-
geousness was almost inconceivable. He went about
on a beautiful horse, covered like himself with gold and
diamonds and the brilliant colours in which the negro
delights. But when his wife died, the heirs stripped him
not only of all his wealth, but of his very clothes, till he
was left with hardly more than a shirt to his name.
Thus disenchanted, he became a dervish.

CHAPTER VIII
TYPICAL PERSIANS
One of the most fascinating Persians whom I met was
His Highness Zehir-ed-Dowleh, the Minister of Cere
monies of His Majesty Musaffer-ed-din, whose sister he
had married. He belonged to the Imperial tribe of
Kajars. His father had left him an immense fortune,
and nearly all the European quarter of the town belonged
to him. But, very generous and Orientally lavish, he
spent a great part of it, and on becoming a dervish gave
the rest away. However, he went on living in a very
beautiful palace in a royal way, as he had an important
appointment from the Government, and his wife was of
course rich. His palace, newly built, was divided, like
every Persian house, into two parts : the enderoun, or
harem, a huge white building with gardens in its quad
rangles ; and, occupying the centre of a park, the biroun,
his reception apartments, which looked like a lantern,
being glazed all round and encircled with a colonnade.
Several rooms were furnished in the European style. It
is much to be deplored that the leading people in Persia
are beginning to Europeanise their lives. Only one room
in this palace was kept quite Persian : it was the library,
64

TYPICAL PERSIANS 65
furnished with bookcases, carpets, and cushions ; it was
a sort of sanctuary for a poet, and Zehir-ed-Dowleh is a
poet — one of the most delicate and precious poets of
the present time.
He is a tall, handsome man, with mysterious and
fathomless eyes — " eyes which look into the heart " ;
his heavy moustache, carefully brushed up, shadows
a rather sardonic smile, expressive of a free mind which
Islam has not encircled with its iron grip. Under
his kolah curls hair nearly fair. His engaging ges
tures, his soft voice, his exquisite politeness, and his
conversation, bright and always adorned with extremely
poetical ideas, make him a most charming host. He has
remained Persian in the best sense of the word, and very
often reminded me of the personages in the " Thousand
and One Nights," especially when he wore the gorgeous
Oriental robes connected with his functions at Court.
Our chief connecting link was music ; he was very fond
of Persian, and also of European music, and had a
European secretary who was a remarkable pianist. He
himself could play the piano, but contented himself with
the airs of his own country. I met him on my first night
in Teheran at the Grand Vizier's party, and when he
learned that I was a musician he asked me to come and
see him. We were soon intimate friends ; at first our
conversation was necessarily limited, as he did not know
any European language, and my Persian was very
inadequate, but my knowledge of his language and our
friendship grew together.

66 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
His wife, Malikeh-Iran (Princess of Persia), had the
reputation of being one of the most beautiful women of
the kingdom. Owing to the fact that she was a princess
of the Imperial family, sister of the Shah, he could have
no other wife. He had three sons and two daughters,
with an equal reputation for beauty. His eldest son,
who was about sixteen, was the most beautiful Persian I
ever saw. He was, like his father, very gifted, but his
talents ran specially in the direction of painting, which
he loved so much that he had no hesitation in giving up
the advantages of his place at Court to go to Europe to
study art.
Was it his love for the fantastic or the fact of his
being a dervish1 that gave Zehir-ed-Dowleh a craving
for hashish} Anyhow, he revelled in it, and drew me
such pictures of the ecstasies attainable by its use that I
grew curious to cross the gates of its deceptive heaven.
In spite of my prejudices, I tasted it several times.
It is taken through a kalyan (water-pipe). The first
time I smoked it nothing happened but a "hoarse
throat " ; the second time I had a little headache ,* the
third time I began to feel the results of the drug. We
had been dining together with several of his friends in
the Persian way on the floor. On one side of the room,
servants, dervishes, and other hangers-on were standing
in an attitude of respect and humility.
After the dishes were cleared away, the pipe-bearer
brought the hashished kalyan. As the guest of the
1 See Chapter VII.

£.

t^

H.B. Zehir-ed-Dowleh, Master of Ceremonies.

TYPICAL PERSIANS 67
evening, it was handed to me first. I took four or five
puffs, coughed, and then the kalyan was handed round
to the other guests. At the second turn I was aware
of an indefinite sensation ; at the third I felt an agreeable
lassitude. Some cushions were brought and piled all
round my back and head, and the musicians and dancers
were ordered in. Little by little the lassitude increased,
till I felt as if I were in a sort of a provisionary Nirvana.
Everything was couleur-de-rose. The music was the
best I had ever heard, the dances were incomparable;
but I had not the energy to express my admiration,
the pronouncing of words seemed too much exertion.
However, to be polite, I tried, with one side of my mouth,
to express it in one syllable. Tea was brought, and
I am ashamed to say that the servants had to hold the
cups to our mouths, into which cigarettes were afterwards
inserted and lighted.
With a great effort the host said, " I shall fill with
gold the mouth of whoever tells the best story."
One of the dervishes began telling extraordinary
things, probably without any meaning, which our ecstatic
condition made us find very interesting. Several others
spoke, but Zehir-ed-Dowleh wanted something better.
He ordered his nazer (butler) to go out into the street
and bring in the first beggar he could find. After a few
minutes, during which a woman 1 told a story illustrated
with monstrous mimicries, an old man was brought in,
walking with difficulty in a semi-intoxicated state. He
1 See Chapter XVII.

68 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
said only a few words, which he would never have
had the courage to say if he had not been drunk, and
for which he would most certainly have received the
bastinado otherwise, for it was a direct satire upon the
master of the house. His mouth was filled with gold
coins, and he was kicked out.
Little by little the fumes of hashish evaporated, and
things returned to their natural ugliness — exaggerated
by the reaction.
The night did not bring any nice dreams, as it is
said to do in stories, but only a heavy sleep and a heavy
awakening in the morning, with a sore throat, and a
good intention, which did not go towards the paving
of hell. It was one of the things which one is glad to
have done — once — in order to know what it is like.
• *•••••
Many will remember the little boy who accompanied
Nasr-ed-din Shah in his travels in Europe, where he
was very much noticed. His short stature made him
look even younger than he was, and as he was not a
prince, people wondered why he enjoyed so much
importance. Since his story shows one of the queer
sides of Oriental life, I think I may give it here.
Nasr-ed-din Shah, like all his subjects, was super
stitious. He believed in the virtue of mascots, and the
porte-bonheur on which he put all his faith was a
marvellous black cat with long fur, the most remarkable
specimen of that race which makes Persia a household
word everywhere. He was persuaded that, thanks to

TYPICAL PERSIANS 69
this animal, he avoided all accidents and shielded himself
from assassins. He never allowed it to be parted from
him ; he had entrusted it to the care of one of his
wives, Amin Agdas, who, thanks to that and to her
cleverness, had, from the position of a servant, achieved
one of the most prominent positions in the harem.
Even in the shooting-parties the cat mascot followed
his august master, carried in a richly decorated basket
by a horseman galloping behind His Majesty.
One day, in one of those dangerous moufflon-shooting
parties in the mountains which the Shah loved, an
accident happened to the cat, and it died. His Majesty
was in despair, and furious, which meant many bas
tinadoes. When he returned to the palace, all the Court
greeted him with the downcast looks of a real mourning.
In the harem it was still worse. It would perhaps
mean the end of the influence of "the Wife of the Cat"
Intrigues began all round to determine who should take
her place. On every side mascots were discovered :
one wife brought a little gudpard which had conjured
the evil eye, another a cock which had kept off lightning,
a third a parrot which, by calling for her mistress, had
put to flight robbers who had broken into the house
during the night. And the sovereign sat gloomily
downcast, not knowing to which he gave the preference,
when a luminous idea came to Amin Agdas. She threw
herself at the feet of the Shah, exclaiming, " Rejoice,
Lord of all Perfections, by your sublime beard, what

70 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
happened was decreed by Providence in order that a
second-rate mascot should give way to a first-rate one.
My little nephew Manijeh is the most miraculous porte-
bonheur that ever existed under the sun. Permit me
to lay him at your august feet ! I am your sacrifice ! "
As if by chance, the little boy was close at hand.
They brought him in, and the Shah, amused by his
smiling and ingenuous appearance, cheered up, which
was considered a sign of acceptance, and the boy, at
the order of his aunt, took up his position, with his
hands folded in the respectful attitude of a courtier. In
Persia children have the gift of being able to look like
adults. This happened in the library of the harem, a small
room covered with gay tiles. His Majesty, forgetting
the incident, was watching with interest through the
window-arcades the movements on the lake in his garden
of the mandarin ducks which had been presented to him
a little while before, when, all of a sudden, Manijeh,
running towards the door, shouted, " Come out, Majesty,
come out quickly!" The Shah started back, got up,
and went out. At that very moment the ceiling of the
room fell down, and the part of the wall at the foot of
which the Shah had been sitting.
The little boy had saved the life of his sovereign. It
was easy for his aunt to exploit this, and the Shah from
that time forward never let the new porte-bonheur, to
whom he gave the title of Aziz-es-Sultan (the Cherished
of the Sovereign) out of his sight.

TYPICAL, PERSIANS 71
All the Court bowed to the bearer of such a title, and
the boy, loaded with presents, adulated and honoured
more than an actual son of the Shah, was soon spoilt to
such an extent as to become unbearable. As he grew
under the Shadow of the King of Kings, who gave him
his daughter in marriage, he accustomed himself to
absolute power, and demanded royal honours even from
the highest personages. More tyrannous than the Shah
himself, he obliged the Grand Vizier to stand in his pre
sence when he himself was seated. He was hated, but
feared, and never lost an opportunity of making fun at
the expense of the personages of the Court, which often
amused the Shah. As an instance of his insolence, one
may mention that when the Shah went to pay his annual
visit at the house of his son, Naib-es-Saltaneh (the Lieu
tenant of the Empire), and the latter gave a dinner to the
personages of the suite a huge table with covers for two
hundred persons was laid in the park under a marquee
near a large lake. The plates were specially made at
the Sevres factory, with the arms of Naib-es-Saltaneh on
them. The boy regularly used to walk round the table,
picking up the beautiful plates and throwing them into
the lake This used to amuse the Shah very much,
though he contrived to hide it from his unhappy son, who
dared not say a word to the favourite.
But everything has an end, and the favour which
Aziz-es-Sultan enjoyed was killed by himself. It was in
the mountains of Mazanderan, on one of the shooting ex
peditions when the Shah was hunting panthers. During

72 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
the afternoon siesta, Aziz-es-Sultan was playing with
a revolver in his tent close to the tent of the Shah, when
suddenly the weapon went off, and the bullet entered the
Shah's tent. The Shah thought it was an attempt to
murder, and had him arrested on the spot, in spite of all
his explanations and protestations. The disgrace only
lasted a short time, but when he was received into favour
again he never quite recovered his old position, and when
the Shah died, as he had only made enemies for himself,
he tried to fly, but was caught and brought back to
Teheran ; and if it had not been for his wife, who was a
sister of the new Shah, he would have certainly been
killed. The greater part of his wealth was taken from
him, and now he leads the life of a fallen grandee, still
sometimes invited to the official receptions. It was at a
dinner at the Grand Vizier's that I met him : I sat next
to him.

A QEOROIAN.

CHAPTER IX
A PERSIAN'S DAY
The Persian is waked at sunrise by the Muezzin's call
to prayer. His toilet does not take him long, because
he puts his clothes on over his night-dress, which is a
pyjama suit consisting of a collarless shirt buttoned down
one side with long wide sleeves, but only reaching to the
hips, and pantaloons made of white cotton. These con
stitute all the under-linen he has, and are only changed
when he goes to the hammam. The poor people have
generally only one set, so when they go to the hammam
they wash their under-linen there, and have to wait till it
is dry before they can dress again.
After these the Persian puts on his alkalouk, a close-
fitting quilted undercoat made of printed chintz. It
reaches nearly to the knees. It is not closed over the
chest, but reveals the shirt front. Over that he wears a
frock-coat with gathered skirts.
Upon his head, which has been covered all night by
a little round skull-cap like a cardinal's calotta, he puts
the kolah, a sort of top-hat without a brim, a real stove
pipe, made of Persian lamb. Very often he keeps the
nightcap on under it, though the more modern Persian is
73

74 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
beginning to discard that. This costume was introduced
by the present Kajar dynasty.
The dress the Persians formerly wore was much more
Oriental and picturesque. It is still worn in the south
of the country, but in the north, and especially in Teheran,
very few except the Mirzas and the Mollahs — the Scribes
and the Pharisees — retain it. It consists of the alkalouk
mentioned before, over which is worn a longer tunic of
the same shape, made of cloth, cashmere shawling,
velvet, or silk, according to his means. This is called
kamerchin. Over that he puts the kolajah, which may
be described as a coat. It is looser than the juba, which
is worn under it, a very full garment with large and long
sleeves, under which the hands disappear. These two
are made of fine cloth dyed grey or left its natural colour,
the best quality of which is as thin as cashmere and
comes from Kirman. The Persian says that when a
shawl is a good quality you should be able to put it
through a ring.
European cloth is seldom used for making purely
Persian garments. When the Persian goes out he wears
over all these an abba, which is made of a square of cloth
with a hole cut in the centre for the neck and sewn up at
the sides : it has two holes left for the hands, and is open
in front. In the south these abbas are very often made of
pale blue silk with stripes of gold or silver. The poor wear
a balapouch of woollen felt, or sheep fur. In the winter
the rich wear a sort of wide cashmere overcoat lined with
fur and with a roll of fur all round. With that dress their

A PERSIAN'S DAY 75
usual headgear in the south is a turban, which in the
north is monopolised by the Mollahs, who wear white
turbans, and the Seyyids, who, being descendants of the
Prophet, wear blue or green turbans. But the kolah is
more the national head-dress in Persia.
In the olden times this kolah was worn covered with
a white or coloured cashmere shawl. Gradually this
became a privilege granted by the Shah, and now only
certain persons are allowed to wear it, and that only on
official occasions.
The Persian attaches great importance to dress. It is
his first consideration as soon as he acquires any money.
Dress is, in fact, his passport into society, because it is by
his dress that he is judged.
As soon as he is dressed, the Persian takes one of those
odd-shaped jugs of water to make the ablutions prescribed
by his manual of religion ; then he says his prayers,
drinks a glass of tea, smokes a kalyan (water-pipe), and
goes off to his business. Between eleven and twelve
his lunch (nahar) is brought to him, a solid meal consisting
of pilaws and chilaws — baked rice served with meat or
vegetables and moistened with butter, sauces, or gravy,
or left dry. With this he drinks sherbets and eats fruit.
When he has finished he generally takes a siesta, and at
two or three o'clock goes to his business again or pays
and receives calls. The working classes naturally lead a
simpler life : it depends on their means. For them the
lunch consists often only of bread and cheese flavoured
with mint-leaves. The siesta is for the poor as well as

76 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
the rich in this "pleasant" country, where there is
always some time to be wasted.
The Persian never loses any of the thousand occasions
that arrive in the course of the day for drinking tea. He
takes it not in cups but in little glasses, in which it is
served boiling. He does not drink it, he sips it, and often,
instead of putting the sugar into his glass, he takes it
between his lips and sucks up the tea, through it. He
never takes milk in his tea, but likes a slice of lemon ; and
there is no lemon which ranks so high as the tiny round
green lemon with a dry hard skin grown at Shiraz. Tea
is, of course, always accompanied by endless kalyans and
cigarettes. Visiting is one of the Persian's principal amusements :
he spends hours at the hammam (Turkish bath). These
hammams are often handsome buildings, and have
very inviting entrances decorated with arabesque tiles,
painted with scenes from the Shah-nameh, and inscribed
with religious exhortations to frequent bathing.
The smallest village has its hammam : it shares with
the mosque the honour of being the most frequented public
building, bathing being almost a religious function, since
it was ordained by the Prophet. When he has finished
with the hot room and the massage, the Persian is
shaved and depilated ; the whole top of his head is shaved,
though the hair over the ears is left and allowed to grow
down to the neck, where it is curled upwards.
Nothing is queerer in the hammam than the collection
of bald heads.

A PERSIAN'S DAY 77
Tradition relates that Louis xiv. started the fashion
able full wig because he had no hair. It was not a prince
or personage who made baldness the fashion in Persia.
The peculiar Persian coiffure has really a religious
signification. The two locks on each side of the head
are left for the Angel of Death to hold when he is
carrying the believer to paradise.
The last part of the bath is devoted to dyeing the hair
and beard. All Persians have their hair washed with
henna, to which vesmeh is added to make it black.1 The
old men of the lower classes and the peasants use
only henna, and their hair and beards become quite red.
This is one of the things which strike you first when you
go to Persia ; and as the peasants do not dye their beards
often enough, the centre part is apt to be white.
Gossip, story-telling, tea, and kalyan smoking make
the baths a very pleasant lounging place.
As business ends between four and five o'clock in the
afternoon, the Persians have plenty of time to go to the
hammam, pay visits, and go to the tea-house, which is
their cafe*. The word tea-house suggests mousm^s
and other Japanese frivolities, but the Persian tchai-
khaneh are simply cafes where people take tea instead of
coffee. They are large rooms containing huge Russian
samovars made of copper, and with rows of lamps and
lustres on their walls. There is generally a garden on
one side of them.
In the spring the chief attraction of the tchdi-khanek
1 See Henna, Chap. XXVII.

78 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
are the nightingales : every one of them has its night
ingale, and the best singer attracts most customers.
These nightingales cost from ten to twenty tomans —
about two to four pounds each — andthey are the subject of
a cult. In the cage of each of them is a rose, to which
they are supposed to sing.
All the gossip of the bazars and the Court are retailed
at the tchai-khaneh, but they are only frequented by
the men of the lower orders and the servants. When
the nightingales stop singing, the dervish story-tellers
begin. They tell marvellous and interminable tales, in
which the Persians take great pleasure. Nasr-ed-din
Shah ordered the tea-houses of Teheran to be closed,
on the pretext that they encouraged idleness and various
other vices, but little by little they opened again.
The aim of Persians is to kill time till the dinner-
hour. The guests arrive at sunset ; the reception-room
— talar — is the principal room of the house, of which
it occupies the centre. It is raised about four or five feet
above the level of the courtyard, and the front is entirely
taken up with windows ofthe English pattern. The floor
is covered with carpets, and one end is higher in social
distinction than the other. Here will be found the two
most beautiful carpets in the house. Persians love
pairs : when they want a lamp they buy two, and when
they want to be especially European and have pictures,
they will buy two exactly the same — chromo-lithographs
in beautiful frames.
There is usually no furniture in their rooms, and when

A MINGRELIAN.

A PERSIANS DAY 79
by chance there is a table, the Persians use it to hold
flower-pots or crystal candelabra ; it is the ground which
they use as a table. In some houses there is a sort of
mattress in the upper part of the room, where the master
of the house and his most honoured guests sit.
When the guests come in, the master of the house
rises and greets them, saying, "You have brought
happiness." A conversation in this strain follows, and
some of the compliments they pay are very absurd to
our ears. It is quite complimentary to say, " Your nose
is so fat : I am glad to see how fat your nose is." It
means, " You look well," an allusion to the thinness of
the nose meaning bad health. The master of the house
then offers his seat, the best in the room, to the guest,
unless a more important one is coming or the master of
the house is more important than his guests. Then
kalyans and tea are brought in.
The kalyan is a bottle full of water. It has a
nozzle of carved wood with a long narrow stem inserted
in it. On the top of it is the bowl of silver, or brass, or
copper, which contains the tobacco. Little chains hang
down from it Common kalyans are made of pottery ;
but the best ones are of china, or gold inlaid with
enamels and a quantity of little turquoises. When the
kalyan is made of glass, the Persian often puts cherries,
rose-leaves, or jasmine into it, which dance about in the
hubble-bubble. The body of the kalyan is sometimes
made of a cocoanut shell or of china, and there are hideous
ones, which the Persians love, made in Russia of common

80 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
china decorated with flowers and medallions containing
portraits of the Shahs ; these are very much a. la mode.
The preparation of the kalyan is a very important
thing, and not at all easy ; it needs a special servant who
understands it. He takes full leaves of tobacco, puts
them into the water, and squeezes them with his hand
before filling them into the top of the pipe. Then he
puts a live ember attached to a string into a cage full
of charcoal and swings it round and round. In a
minute or two it ignites all the other charcoal, which is
laid upon the wet tobacco leaves, and strong breaths
are drawn in until the pipe is lighted.
The kalyan is then taken in by an attendant, and
offered to the guest who occupies the highest place.
Before accepting it, he makes a formal offer of it by
gesture to the master of the house, and every guest in
turn, with a smile and a bow. They all refuse it — he knows
that they will. He then takes two or three puffs and
hands it back to the servant, who lifts off the head and
draws out the smoke left in the tube before replacing
the head, because it would be wanting in politeness to
leave any smoke in it. The same thing is repeated as
it is offered to each guest in succession.
When the important guest arrives, everybody rises,
and the master of the house goes forward to greet him.
The great man bows to everyone, and a discussion
about the place of honour commences. He knows quite
well that he will take it but he makes a great show of
declining it, and at last goes and sits on it quite suddenly.

A PERSIAN'S DAY 81
He sinks on his knees after spreading his long coat
under him, and turns his toes in to make a circle of
them, a more comfortable way of squatting than that
adopted by most Orientals. When he is seated he bows
again to the master of the house and to each guest, one
after the other, mumbling something, which cannot be
heard, between his teeth, but always with a smile.
The assembled guests go on nibbling melon seeds
grilled in salt, grilled pistachios, and monkey nuts. Then,
although it is forbidden by religion, wines and spirits are
brought in, in very beautiful green glass bottles powdered
with gold. Shiraz wines are the best. The wine is
drunk not in glasses, but in cups without pedestals,
which are made of copper, and much ornamented with
figures of women and sentences from the poets who
have sung in praise of wine. Arrack, a white spirit
distilled from rice, is also drunk. Then the musicians
come in, one playing a zither, another the aoud, a sort
of guitar often mentioned in the Arabian Nights;
another a sort of violin, which he plays kneeling with
the instrument resting on the ground — it has some fine
'cello notes ; and a fourth playing a tomtom. The
singer and dancers follow ; the former chants in the high
falsetto so dear to the Oriental : it begins with variations
on the word delem — my heart ; then the song, a sad, slow
milopde, drones on and on, till it suddenly breaks off
like a harp-string. It soars and soars, as a bird shot
through the head rises on fluttering wings and suddenly
drops. The dancers are boys or women, and we

82 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
should call them acrobats and contortionists rather than
dancers. All through the performance the guests go on drink
ing arrack and getting more and more excited. They
clap their hands, not in applause, but to mark time, till
things culminate in a pandemonium. The guests then
see that dinner-time is come : in some houses it is
prepared in an adjoining room, but it is more usual for
it to be brought into the same room by the attendants.
First a leather napkin is spread under the linen napkin.
The Persian bread, called sangak, is flat ; it is called
sangak from sang (stone) because the bread is baked
in an oven which has a floor composed of pebbles, and
sometimes pieces of pebble stick to the bread and break
your teeth. In appearance it is very like pancake : it is
only crust, and is very good. This bread is spread all
round the table ; it takes the place of plates, as it did in
the banquets in the Middle Ages in England, and is
always used as a spoon to eat the soup with.
On the tablecloth are laid a number of dishes, some of
them with silver covers, others with covers of plaited
straw. These dishes are most of them composed of rice,
and are divided into two main classes — chilaws and
pilaws : chilaws are those which are prepared without
any sauces, there is always some rice roasted to a golden
colour upon them ; pilaws are made with sauce. The
national dish of Persia is the chilaw-kebab ; kebab are
little slices of mutton skewered together with the leaves
of aromatic plants between them, and they are eaten

A PERSIAN'S DAY 83
with rice mixed up with the yolk of a raw egg. The
eggs are brought in cut in half and embedded in sand.
The guests throw the yolk on the rice for themselves,
and mix it up with their fingers. There is a very
popular pilaw called fissenjan ; it is made of pome
granates, nuts, and almonds, pounded up into a sauce
which they eat with chicken. Persians have only two
meats, mutton and chicken. Pork is forbidden, so are
hares and crustaceans.
No knives or forks are used in eating, only the fingers
of the right hand. Each person has a little plate of curds
placed in front of him, of which he partakes all through
the meal. On the cloth are huge bowls full of sherbet,
made of various fruits, water, and ice. It is often cooled
with snow : large quantities of snow are stored in under
ground cellars. The guests help themselves to drink :
in each of the bowls is an elaborately carved wooden
spoon ; when they wish to drink, they drink out of this
spoon, and put it back.
Persians put quantities of fruit on the table ; they
enjoy the beauty of its appearance even when they are
not eating it, just as we enjoy flowers. In all pictures
of Persian entertainments you see fruit on the ground,
like the daisies in Fra Angelico's pictures.
They have some dishes of Turkish origin, one of the
most famous of which is the Imam - boyaldeu, which
means the dish that made the priest faint with delight.
It consists of aubergine (egg-fruit), one of the vegetables
most esteemed in Persia, with stuffing and a very aromatic

84 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
sauce. Another Turkish dish which often comes on the
Persian menu is dolma, which consists of mince and rice
wrapped up in a vine-leaf. Tomatoes were unknown to
the Persians till they were introduced by Europeans, so
they are called European aubergines — badenjan frangki.
The Persian's favourite vegetable is cucumber,
especially when taken with curds : if ever you hear of
a person dying of indigestion, you may be sure that it
will be put down to cucumber and curds. You must not
drink when you have partaken of this dish, because it
will only make you thirstier, and the drink causes the
cucumber to expand and give you frightful indigestion ;
when you have eaten it, you must go to sleep for an hour.
The sweet is always rice, which the Persians prepare in
many ways : it is sometimes seasoned with orange-peel
and pistachios.
The Persians do not drink wine during a meal, but
they drink a great deal before and after, not because
they enjoy its taste, but for the sake of the intoxicating
effects. The most important guests sit at the head of the
table ; the host takes his place in the order of precedence
to which his social position entitles him. At the foot of
the table sit the musicians, who often eat with the guests.
The meal commences by servants coming round with
ewers ; each guest has his right sleeve turned up and his
right hand washed by having water poured over it, the
right hand only being used for eating. There is hardly
any conversation during the meal ; the guests eat very

A PERSIAN'S DAY 85
quickly but very solemnly. The host hands choice
morsels to those whom he specially wishes to honour ;
they are obliged to eat these morsels with good grace, no
matter how much they may dislike them.
When the meal is ended the ewer is brought round
again, this time filled with rose-perfumed water. The
guests then get up and smoke kalyans. Some of them
may remain all night and sleep there ; others will have
their servants to fetch them, with the enormous lanterns
called fanous, which are generally white with a red stripe
round them.
Much of the day is spent in visiting and conversation.
The gossip of the Court and the town passes from
mouth to mouth, embellished with such commentaries
and exaggerations that it soon becomes completely
transformed. Intrigue enters much into the Persian's life : he is
always working for some favour, the granting of some
petition, the putting right of some business, the arrange
ment of some judicial verdict or the acquisition of some
pension, title, or post. No Persian who has the slightest
education despairs of seeing himself one day occupying
an important position in the State. Many water-carriers
have become Grand Viziers since the times of the good
Haroun-ar-Rashid. The surprises in the life of a Persian, the small
security which his Government gives, induces him to
take the wildest risks for what we should call "off-
chances," which have afforded such wonderful examples

86 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
of success, while even the highest personage cannot
ignore the fact that to-morrow he may become a beggar.
For the Shah has the power to confiscate all his goods,
and in Persia it is dangerous to eome down, for the
" golden cup," or a cup of doctored coffee, so often follows
the downfall.
The word which you hear oftenest in conversation
is flouss, which means money. Then comes the word
moudakkel, which is not translatable ; to say that it
means a commission, or a bribe, or a douceur, is to take
off the subtilty of its meaning. The moudakhel re
presents the profit, more or less illicit which every
Persian considers a duty to realise in exchange for a
favour or a service. The Shah himself, far from dis
daining the moudakhel, exacts it without fail whenever
he extends mercy to a culprit or bestows a title upon an
ambitious courtier. Even before a judge arguments
must have the ring of gold to be of any weight since
the Persian law is so elastic and so easy to interpret,
according to the necessities of the moment, that the
judge who interprets it would be very much embarrassed
if he had no moudakhel to guide him.
Time has no value in the lands of Islam. Ferda —
i.e. to-morrow — is always on the lips. An hour is easily
spent in bargaining for a water-melon, and if it was not
sold in the end, no Persian would dream of regretting
the loss of time.

CHAPTER X
THE CHARACTER OF THE PERSIANS
(lying A fine art)
The Persians are said to be the French ofthe East. Like
them, they are gay : the Mussulman religion has not set
upon them that stamp of haughty and meditative sadness
which is so marked in the Arabs and the Turks. They
have the explanatory and communicative gestures of the
French, their exuberance, their love of feasts and re
joicings, their loquacity, their artistic taste, their tendency
towards scepticism, or at least towards philosophic
speculations which border on it, their critical and caustic
spirit No other people is so courteous in receiving a visitor ;
even if the Persian is indifferent to you, he will not omit
the compliment which he believes you will feel most
It is difficult to exaggerate the Persian's courteousness,
the kindness, and, at the same time, the dignity, scarcely
noticeable on account of the simplicity in which it is
wrapt, the poetical terms and citations used ! All this,
added to his exoticism and the grandeur inherited from
a glorious past, makes intercourse with the Persian
exquisite. 87

88 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Without doubt it is better not to scratch the civilised
man, or you may discover the barbarian who sleeps, and
generally sleeps with only one eye. For behind this
courteousness are the philosophic hatred — that strong
hatred which springs from the clashing of ideas, above
all of religious ideas — and the profound scorn which, in
spite of himself, every Mussulman has for the creatures
whom Allah judged unworthy of being enlightened with
the Faith, and therefore destined for hell. The greatest
Persian curse is Peder soukhteh (burnt father). The
fact of being a Christian is the most powerful reason for
deserving this epithet. Even in the eyes of the sceptical
Persian — or one who believes that he is so — Christianity
is not less a blemish ; the feeling is instinctive.
The same man who drops rose petals under your
feet in order to make them avoid the hardness of the
road, will not hesitate to make you suffer the most cruel
tortures. He delights in the murmur of the rivulet in
the moonshine, but the sound of blood flowing from
an open wound has also for him its fascination. The
singing of the nightingale fills him with rapture in the
night, but he quivers with pleasure at the cry of pain
from a victim.
In this he could not be better compared than to the
Roman of the decadence, Persian that he is of a
supreme decadence, a decadence bordering on decay ; for
of all these beaux sentiments which have made the
greatness of humanity, there remain to him only the
appearances. However, we must be thankful to the

zr
f oC
'5

THE CHARACTER OF THE PERSIANS 89
Persian for knowing how to keep up these appearances,
and with a serenity which would deceive the devil. Du
reste, he is deceived himself, for it is improbable that he
would reach such a perfection without any sincerity.
He is, however, an exquisite being: how can one
help admiring him ? If he has a right to our admiration
for his charm and fascination, he deserves our indulgence
for the rest, since his religion and his Government have
condemned him for many centuries to every species of
dissimulation, servitude, and baseness, to the atmosphere
of uncertainty for the morrow, the absence of justice and
of rights. Also, it might be urged that the traditions of
cruelty inherited from his ancestors, who used to pierce
the eyes of their captives, would be some excuse for the
barbarous side of his character, were it not that he has
lost the tradition of courage.
He loves meetings, fetes, and music. In springtime,
flowers and the singing of the nightingale play an
important part in his life ; in gardens by the side of little
rivulets he delights in devising and reciting from Sa'di
and Hafiz, and in hearing the singing of the nightingale
whose cage he has hung from the neighbouring tree.
This cage is of precious wood with golden bars, and is
always full of flowers, because it is thought that the
nightingale dedicates his song to them. In the poems
the nightingale is supposed to fall in love with the rose
and sing to it.
Of lying the Persian has made an institution — if
"lie" is the proper term to designate the picturesque

90 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
way in which he gives free play to his prolific imagination.
Can a mirage decently be called a lie ? There is always
some mirage reflected in the Persian's thought. Ampli
fication, embellishment, illumination, would be a more
exact term to designate the " running lie " which enamels
all Persian conversation.
The Persian does not consider a lie a sin. He thinks
that we have a bad opinion of lying because we do not
know how to lie, and if he shows an unbounded confidence
in everything the Europeans say, it is chiefly because he
thinks that we are totally devoid of the gift. It may
be said that he lies for the sake of lying. In Persian
conversation it takes so important a place that the
unfortunate truth is quite drowned. Truth is a distant
and inaccessible goddess ; she must have been afraid of
risking her delicate complexion under the burning Persian
sun, so she prudently remains at the bottom of her
well, beneath a shroud of unfathomable water. There
is a Persian dictum that it is better to tell a lie which
will do good than a truth which will do harm.
Napier Malcolm speaks thus of the bewildering topsy-'
turvydom of Persia : " An Englishman when in doubt
tells the truth. A Persian in doubt tells a lie. This
would be more tolerable were it not that a Persian is
always in doubt. In Persia security is a thing unknown,
and telling lies becomes part of the instinct of self-
preservation. Then again the lies are of a new kind.
Lies in England are generally told to deceive people in
some particular ; in Persia they are just as frequently

THE CHARACTER OF THE PERSIANS 91
told in order to make the very search for truth impossible.
When I have had to examine into cases of petty theft
amongst schoolboys, I have found that to get at the
truth is an almost superhuman task. English boys, if
they do not tell the truth, will at least tell as few false
hoods as possible, if for no other reason than to avoid
being found out. Persian boys will not only lie on the
subject they wish to conceal, but they will tell as many
untruths as they can cram into the story, so as to render
any attempt at investigation futile. Of course you know
that they are lying, but as they never imagine that you
will suspect them of telling the truth, they are not much
deterred." There is always the true lie, here as everywhere else.
But, like the sun, it shines more brightly on the land of
Iran. Though not taken seriously, its share is generally
a pretty large share — for one knows what talking means.
Just as in the Persian's gambling, cheating is not con
sidered knavery, since everybody cheats ; so the lie
becomes with him one of the rules of the game, and the
match is only made more interesting by it.
The Persian is also a great gambler. He has
always been celebrated at chess, but cards are not less
popular in Persia. They are nice little cards in vernis
martin like lacquer, real masterpieces for which the
artists give a free rein to their imagination. The Queens
are represented in the most varied costumes and attitudes,
and often with very little veiling for Oriental women.

92 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
This is, of course, the picture of the characteristic
Persian. It would not be right to conclude from it that
one does not meet in Persia, as everywhere else, people
essentially respectable and honest — but why should we
speak of these ?
There are many fine qualities which we must allow
the Persian. One of the most moving is the patriarchal
respect he pays to his parents. The son is the humble
servant of his father : he never sits in his presence unless
he is repeatedly urged to do so by him ; he would not
smoke before him on any pretext.
The Persian has not the slightest idea of patriotism
to Persia, which is only a geographical expression to
him. His patriotism is parochial, and stronger than
prejudice. A Persian poet who was far from his native
place wrote : " Build my tomb upon a height, that the
wind may carry the vapours of my body to the spot
where I was born."
......
Many Europeans living in Persia, who do not know
how to make allowances, show great injustice towards
the Persians, whom they pronounce " the lowest of the
nations." They delight in enumerating their defects
and their vices, as if they had none themselves, or in
order to appear more pure in their own eyes. They go
no farther than the Persian language to find support of
their opinions. It is true that since thankfulness finds
no room in the golden book of Persian qualities, there
exists no word in their vocabulary to say "Thanks."

THE CHARACTER OF THE PERSIANS 93
They say instead, Luft-i-shuma ziyad (May your kindness
grow), which seems to mean, " May your attentions
grow," or, with lesss elfishness, Zell shuma kam nacharad
(May your shadow never grow less), which is really
kind-hearted. They swear by your salt, by your beloved life, by
your death : which means, " May you die if I have lied."
And in this it is once more a compliment that they
mean to pay to you, for they show that they fix an
infinitely higher price on your life than on their own.
One of those Europeans who believe themselves to
be victims of Eastern perfidy has given to me as a proof
of it the following tale, which recalls Frederick the Great
and the Mill of Sans-Souci.
The governor of the Southern province, in which
the nightingales are most famous for their singing,
extended every year the length of his palace garden.
He adored flowers, verdure, and huge sheets of water,
which recall the river Kouther in the Garden of Paradise.
He was more feared than loved by his subjects,
by whom he had managed not to be hated, for he used
the velvet glove on the iron hand, and thus he con
stantly saw his fortune growing. Political fortune often
follows the same path as monetary fortune : the prince
therefore stood well at Court.
All this made the progressive growth of his gardens
easy. Who would dare refuse to sell his lands to such
a powerful lord ?
Once it happened that a poor old peasant had the

94 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
courage and the obstinacy or conceitedness which has
immortalised the miller of Sans-Souci, who was so deaf
to the offers and threats of the great Frederick. He did
not want to give up to the prince the wretched cube of
earth which had been his dwelling during all his life, and
which his father had built with the soil of the road.
The prince was at first astonished. He wanted to
see the man who did not fear to stand up to him. The
poor old man was brought to him, and he received him
amiably, so amiably that the fellow, who expected the
bastinado or worse, came very near to yielding every
thing. However, he thought better of it and kept his
resolutions so well that the prince threw away the velvet
glove and showed the iron hand. The threat only had
the effect of hardening the old man in his obstinacy
and his refusal. He was put in prison in order that
he might reflect, which increased his obstinacy — he must
have been of Turkish origin. Every morning a man of
the prince's came to ask him if the night had brought
him sense. But he remained obdurate.
Driven to extremity, the prince thought of another
plan, and his servants came to tell the old man that
His Highness had set him free.
" Praise be to God ! " exclaimed he, and he thanked
the Lord. He was advised also to bring his thanks to
the feet of the prince, who was so magnanimous to him,
and he was driven to the talar, where His Highness
was trying upon starlings some guns sent to him from
Europe.

A hall in a Persian palace.

THE CHARACTER OF THE PERSIANS 95
" May the attention of His Highness grow ; may
his shadow never be less ; and may the blessings of God
be spread upon him as numerous as the stars in the
firmament." With a smile the prince dismissed him : " Mourakhas
esti."
And, after many salaams, the old man retired. He
had only gone a few paces when the prince shouldered
his gun, fired, and killed the clod who was going back
unmoved to his cube of mud.

CHAPTER XI
THE POSITION OF WOMEN IN PERSIA
In ancient Persia before the days of Zoroaster, women
are said to have had a position as good as that of men.
The great Persian sage, far from abolishing such a state
of things, confirmed it with his authority. He thought
that improving the education and intellectuality of the
mother, and treating her with respect, would be the best
thing for making her sons more civilised. But Persian
women do not enjoy this Zoroastrian estimation in
modern society, where their inferiority to men is most
marked. Some people blame Mahomet for this state of
affairs : this is not just ; he did his best to raise the state
of woman, who was simply an animal in the eyes of the
Arabs of his day, among whom unlimited polygamy
reigned. But even Mahomet was unable to break through the
conventions which kept woman in a state of servitude.
Her education prepared her for this state of inferiority, as
it still does. In the harem she grows up like a wild
flower ; nothing which Europeans generally keep out of
their children's sight is concealed from her ; she is left
to the dictates of her instincts, which, as she sees very

POSITION OF WOMEN IN PERSIA 97
little society but that of servants and slaves, are not very
elevating. Her religion is drowned in the lowest super
stitions, and as she is seldom taught to read and write,
the only means she has of learning about things is
from tales which would have hardly any meaning for us
because they are so stupid.
In spite of this, some of the Persian women are poets
of no mean ability ; their works are never published, they
are seldom even circulated, for, after all the inroads made
by civilisation into this country, the Persians are still of
the opinion that nothing about a woman should be en
evidence, in any way or under any circumstances. They
even make it a reproach to Ayesha, the favourite wife of
Mahomet, that she appeared at the head of an army. I
should say, however, that the leaven of civilisation is
beginning to affect the education of girls in the better
families, which is often far less neglected now. Indeed,
there are Persian women who are quite learned and can
speak several languages.
A ce propos, a Persian who had been educated
in Europe told me solemnly that he would never
marry a woman who could read or write. I asked
him why? And he replied that the reading of novels
with descriptions of beautiful young men, and all the
thousand tricks they play upon husbands, could only
be bad for the peace of the home. It was in vain that
I pointed out that young men playing tricks upon hus
bands do not form at all an ordinary plot in the novels of
the West, while they are the usual subject of the story-
7

98 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
tellers of the harem. The Persian was unconvinced. All
Persians are taught from their youth to be on their guard
against woman's perfidy. It is an axiom with them that
a man should never take a woman's advice, and should
only listen to it with the definite intention of doing the
opposite. It is a canon with the Persians that woman must
remain an inferior creature under the authority of man.
So great is the constraint to which she is subjected, that
her husband prefers her not going to the ordinary services
in the mosques ; he likes her to pray at home, or only go
to the mosque when there will be few men there.
As might have been expected, there is generally no
real intimacy between wife and husband in Persia. The
husband's occupations and intercourse with his male
friends and his business, if he has any, keep him away
all day from the enderoun ; it is usually quite late
in the evening before he returns. Women never eat
with their husband. The food is first taken to his
apartments ; when he and his friends have eaten all
the tit-bits, it is handed on first to the women, then
to the servants, and then to the poor in the streets. If
a woman goes out with her husband, which is a very
rare event, she has to walk a few paces behind. But
even Japanese women have to do that.
A wife is never seen driving with her husband either
in the town or in the country, so strong is the tradition
for keeping the women apart And the Persian women,
like the Chinese, never accompany their husbands when

POSITION OF WOMEN IN PERSIA 99
they leave their country. The only thing which ever
takes them out of Persia is a pilgrimage to Kerbela
or Mecca. It is said that scarcely any Persian woman
has ever been in Europe. When a Persian diplomat
was questioned on the subject, he replied, " It is im
possible. What would be the life of our women in a
country where their sex lives in such a totally different
way ? They are only allowed to go out closely veiled ;
think how they would feel this when every woman round
them was unveiled. Even when your women have a
veil, it is like a window ; you can see through it. They
could not go and visit your women, because there would
be such a risk of their meeting men in houses where the
sexes are accustomed to mix. What should we do for
enderouns in houses arranged like yours? We should
have to take a hospital or a prison to secure the proper
isolation. That is why Nasr-ed-din gave orders that
women were not to leave Persian territory. When he
started out on his first trip to Europe, he took two of
his wives with him, but he had hardly got as far as
Moscow before he realised all the complications that
would be caused by their presence. Therefore he sent
them back there and then."
So prejudiced are the very strict Persians in the
matter of the isolation of women, that they make a kind
of text out of an anecdote which is related in the Book
of Traditions. " One day, when Mahomet was sitting
with Omar Mukhum, the blind man, one of his wives
crossed the room. The Prophet reproached her with

100 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
her breach of the law. ' But the man is blind, else had
I not done it, my lord.' ' But thou seest,' exclaimed
the Prophet." This is considered to prove that not
only must a man not see a woman, but a woman must
not look at a man unless he is her husband or a near
relation. To ask a Persian about his wife is a grave breach of
etiquette. The most you can do is to ask about the
mother of his son.
The mystery which surrounds Persian women has
to be impenetrable, and this has an effect even upon
Persian architecture. The Persian house is built with
a view to the isolation of the enderoun, the part of the
house reserved to women. The name is derived from
the Aryan root, Inder. The enderoun is sacred.
Minarets are scarcer in Persian towns than they are in
other Mussulman countries, because the Persians fear
that the Muezzin who proclaim the hour of prayer so
many times a day might penetrate the secrecy of the
houses below. And where there are minarets the
Muezzin seldom ascend them : they call the faithful to
prayer from the roof of the mosque. The terraced roofs
of the houses are separated by shoulder-high parapets
to isolate them from each other. But in spite of that,
men are supposed to go on them as little as possible.
There is a story that a pigeon fancier, who was often on
his terrace training his pigeons, took advantage of this
to take furtive peeps at the courtyards of his neighbours.
He was asked several times to give up the practice, and

j^t^-MU

Roof terraces.

POSITION OF WOMEN IN PERSIA 101
because he did not pay any attention to these requests,
was shot dead. The authorities never dreamt of molest
ing the person who had punished the trespasser on the
secrecy which surrounds the harem.
The air of mystery which surrounds the Persian
women extends to their outdoor dress, which conceals
their form so completely as to leave them mere phantoms
of humanity. The Persian woman is what man has made her.
To the rich man she is a luxury for the gratification
of his pleasures, to the poor man a more or less useful
animal until she becomes a mother. But the respect
with which she then becomes invested is some com
pensation for the habitual indifference to which she
has been subjected. Even then the behaviour of her
husband and her family depends on the sex of the child :
if it is a male, they are loud in their gratification ; if it
is a female, they will not conceal their disappointment.
As soon as the child is born the nurse goes to inform
the husband, who will be waiting in the next room. If
it is a son, she comes with manifestations of delight :
" Aferin ! you are the father of a son ! " The husband
is radiant, and he and all the family besiege her with
congratulations. But if it is only a daughter she ad
vances timidly and apologetically, and if he is a man
in authority he may order her to be bastinadoed for
telling him such bad news. In the old days she might
have had her head cut off.
In great families, especially in the Royal Family, the

102 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
position of mother gives a woman a real influence. This
may be felt in the management of her husband's affairs,
though that is rather exceptional. She is more likely
to take advantage of her influence in questions of
personal interest. Her vision being restricted, feminine
political influence is not often mentioned at Court, but
many is the request laid before the Shah through the
avenue of the harem.
It used to be different in the days of the Sefavi
kings, who led effeminate lives, and preferred the
pleasures of the harem to the excitements of war and
hunting. When they were on the throne, it was by no
means unusual for the favourites of the harem to exercise
a direct influence in the affairs of State, and important
official posts were occupied by eunuchs. That custom
is not quite extinct : Eve and the serpent still lead man
to a certain extent.

CHAPTER XII
PERSIAN WOMEN AND THEIR DRESS
The poets of Persia, who, unlike other poets of the East,
have quite a vogue in England, owing to the Sohrab
and Rustem of Matthew Arnold and Edward Fitzgerald's
Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, have been so eloquent
on the subject of the beauty of Persian women, that they
are supposed to be the most beautiful in the world.
When they are beautiful — and they often really are — the
poets have not said too much, from their own standpoint.
But their beauty, like that of the aristocratic Japanese,
does not correspond with European ideas, if the poets
are accurate in their descriptions. Their idea of women
demands "the graceful form of a cypress, a waist as
slender as a toothpick, the elastic gait of a tender fawn,
a face like the moon on the fourteenth night, cheeks like
a tulip, the eyes of a dying gazelle, lips like a bursting
pomegranate, whose crimson makes rubies pale, and an
expression as sweet as a sugar-eating parrot." Some
of these phrases convey no meaning at all to the
matter-of-fact European, and even where their meaning
is fairly clear one is not able to endorse them from the
little one knows of the women. Why, for instance,
103

104 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
should the Persian woman be compared to a cypress,
when she is generally short? and why should she be
called as slender as a toothpick, when she is usually
decidedly fat? (As a matter of fact, if she is not fat,
she stands in imminent danger of a divorce, since the
Persian demands embonpoint in the favourites of his
harem.) In Europe, when one compares a woman's face
to the full moon one does not as a rule mean to imply
a compliment. What, then, are the special beauties of the Persian
woman when stripped of the hyperbole of Oriental
poetry ? The accepted Persian type of beauty has a
very full, oval face ; big black almond-shaped eyes,
which would be sufficiently bright and mysterious without
the assistance of the everlasting kohl ; heavy eyelids,
which seem to droop under the long, full lashes that cast
a shadow on the face ; very regular arched eyebrows,
the curves of which are elongated with paint and made
to taper off on the temple, though they almost join over
the "birth" of the nose, where a blue patch cleverly
adapted in the shape of a star separates them. The
nose is small and aquiline, and is sometimes almost lost
between the vivid crimson tulips on the cheeks, which,
natural or otherwise, rival in intensity the brilliance of
her sensual lips. The ground of her complexion is
milky white ; if Nature has not made it white, she makes
it white for herself. On her cheeks the Persian woman
wears another blue, star-shaped patch like that between
her eyebrows. She seldom rests content with what

Persian woman in harem costume with a Kurdish headdress.

PERSIAN WOMEN AND THEIR DRESS 105
Nature has done for her in the way of beauty. But
a few years ago cosmetics went out of fashion, and the
beauties of the harems lathered their faces with common
soap and left it to dry, in order to make their skin shine
as if it had been varnished. It is acknowledged that
many "a full moon" did glitter more brilliantly; but
the obvious inconveniences of the practice soon put it out
of court, and the eternal cosmetics resumed their vogue.
The Persian woman has very fine hair ; it is
abundant and long, and generally jet black. But the
fair Persian never hesitates to paint the lily; so, when
she goes to the bath, she either dyes her hair with
vesmeh to give it a blue tint, or with henna to make it
auburn, or very often with both. But aureoline has no
patronesses — the few women who are fair are ashamed
of having golden hair, which is a feature not at all
appreciated by their husbands. They, above all others,
are devotees of dyeing. It is in the hammam, and
there only, that the Persian woman ever has her hair
washed or dressed ; in the intervals between going to
the hammam it is not touched. At the same time
she takes the opportunity of dyeing with henna the
palms and fingers of her nice little hands, and the toes
and heels of her dainty feet.
Her coiffure is very characteristic. A parting in the
middle of her forehead divides her front hair, which falls
in stiff, pomaded locks about five inches long on both
sides of her face, forming love-knots upon her cheeks.
Sometimes her front hair is cut in a straight fringe over

106 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
her forehead ; her back hair is divided into innumerable
little tight plaits, terminating in ribbons or sequins or
tassels of pearls, which sweep the ground. As long hair
is very much esteemed, the Persian women, like t?heir
enemies of antiquity, the Greeks, frequently lengthen
their plaits with false hair, though they do not use horse
hair for this purpose.
The ordinary headgear of a Persian woman indoors
is a tiny skull-cap worn on one side, and surmounted
by ajika, which is a bent aigrette powdered with precious
stones, or a sort of jewelled badge set with feathers
of the peacock and other birds. The shape of this
ornament commemorates and represents the sacred bent
cypress of the ancient Zoroastrians. The same pattern
constantly recurs in carpets and other fabrics, and
particularly in the famous cashmere shawls which play
such a conspicuous part in the dress of Persia.
Perhaps the reason why the Persian woman sur
rounds her face with the white cloud of gauze called
chargat is that she may more exactly recall the circle
of the moon at the fourteenth night. The chargat
ought to frame the face in a circle as perfect as pos
sible, showing the hair on the forehead like two raven's
wings. It conceals the ears and binds the cheeks,
letting the two love-knots escape. The ends of the
veil meet under the chin, where they are caught to
gether by a brooch, and hang down over the shoulder
and throat. This gives the women of Persia the
hieratic aspect of Egyptian divinities.

PERSIAN WOMEN AND THEIR DRESS 107
The graceful costume worn by Persian women of
yore, which has made picturesque so many pages of
the poets — consisting of the long tight jacket moulded
in to the waist, and flowing pantaloons — underwent
regrettable modifications in the last half of the nine
teenth century. The greatest change took place when
Nasr-ed-din returned in a wild state of excitement from
his first journey to Europe, where the filmy skirts of the
ballet -girls had produced a formidable effect upon his
Oriental mind. In consequence, he bought a quantity
of ballet-girl costumes, and on his arrival in Teheran
had all his harem dressed like operatic fairies. One
concession, however, he made — the ladies of the harem
were allowed to retain their loose bodices, because they
had never been disciplined to the use of the corset, which
is unknown in Persia. The indoor costume of the
Persian woman of to-day is therefore composed of a
pihran, a transparent veil of gauze or muslin, sequined,
embroidered with gold or silver, and left quite open on
the chest to show the chemise and bosom. The sleeves
are full and long, buttoned close to the wrists, and turned
back with revers richly ornamented with braid and
knots. Instead of petticoats, the Persian woman wears
two or three skirts, called zirjoumeh, one over the other ;
the lowest underskirt is made of very highly starched
cotton, to create undulations and bouffants. The top
skirt, of the same shape, is made of the material to match
the bodice. The skirts have no waistband, but are tied
on with cords so loosely that the skirt slips down and

108 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
shows the stomach ; both skirts are so short that even
then they barely reach the knees. Latterly the best-
dressed women in the Imperial harem have, on the
advice of the very clever representative of Worth et Cie.
in Teheran, taken to the silk tights worn by our ballet-
girls. ^Esthetic Persians like the women in their harems
to dress each one in a simple colour, but no two the
same, so as to suggest to their poetical imaginations a
vision of a garden of tulips.
The legs and feet of the harem women are left bare
in the summer-time ; in winter they wear white socks
and a kind of pantaloons to protect them from the
cold. Their legs are often loaded with heavy anklets,
mostly of gold and silver, called khalkhal. Tiny
pahpoosh — i.e. Oriental slippers, which are made of
velvet embroidered with gold or pearls, and are worn
so short that the high heels come right under the
middle of the feet — complete this indoor costume,
which would shock a European lady ; but then the
Persian lady is equally shocked by the decollete* of
our women, which she considers the badge of impro
priety. The more liberal-minded Persian men think
it charming, but often inquire of their men friends at
the Legations why they permit thin or old women to
show their necks and arms. It is curious how the
standard of modesty differs in various parts of the
world. The attitude of the Venus of Medici in the
Uffizzi at Florence would be unintelligible to the

PERSIAN WOMEN AND THEIR DRESS 109
Mussulman woman, whose first thought would be to
cover her face.
The outdoor dress of the Persian woman consists of
shalvar, chader, and a rouhband. The shalvar are wide
black pantaloons, which are drawn in just above the
ankles, and fit the feet like stockings ; when the Persian
women wear stockings at all, which is seldom, they
are worn beneath the shalvar. The outdoor slippers
are of red leather with iron heels, and their incon
venient shape may be due to the same cause as the
compression of the women's feet in China — to prevent
their owners from moving freely. The chader is a
huge black opaque veil, which is thrown over the head
and envelopes the whole body ; even the hands are
enveloped in it, because they must not be exposed.
In spite of that, the rich wear gloves, generally
made of green or mauve silk. The rouhband is a long
and narrow white veil fastened with a clasp at the
back of the head over the chader, and hangs over
the face and forehead to the waist. In front of the
eyes is a sort of thick lace, through which the eyes
can see without being seen. This ungraceful costume,
which transforms a woman into the black phantom
of which I so often have to speak, conceals the form
to such an extent that it allows the wife to meet her
husband without being recognised. In spite of what
writers have said about a woman in the Orient being
obliged to be faithful to her husband, this costume
sometimes enables her to deceive him. In Persia it is

110 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
not uncommon for ladies to put on the outdoor dress
of their maids when they want to escape attention and
do what they ought not to !
But the Persian lady is so accustomed to this
costume that nothing would induce her to go out with
her face uncovered. An Englishwoman would as soon
enter the sea without her bathing dress. A well-born
Persian woman regards with contempt the peasants and
nomads who expose their faces.
No Persian would dare to touch a woman's veil,
for this act would be met with ruthless severity ; but
if a woman, for a reason which it is easy to understand,
cares to reveal her features to a passer-by, she pretends
that her veil is slipping, and has an accident while she
is putting it right.

The chader and rouhband (out-door dress of a
Persian woman.)

CHAPTER XIII
THE AMUSEMENTS AND PUNISHMENTS OF THE ENDEROUN
Although Persian ladies excuse themselves from all
kinds of labour, even the light tasks which form the
pastime of European ladies, the middle and lower
class Persian woman is very industrious. She not
only attends to all the affairs of her household, and
prepares the sweetmeats and conserves so appreciated
all over the East, but also embroiders to perfection,
weaves cloth and makes carpets.
Her amusements are limited, but she is not difficult
to satisfy on that score, for she can be diverted by the
merest trifles. She gossips as much as her European
cousin, even more, and indulges in endless conversation.
She smokes the kalyan as much as her husband,
and, like him, takes a sensual pleasure in music,
dancing, poetry, the singing of the nightingale, and
the murmur of water. She adores flowers, and loves
to adorn herself with them.
As she generally is unable to write, she is obliged
to have recourse to the language of flowers, fruits, spices,
and other domestic stores, to express her feelings. The
Kitab-Koulsoum-Naneh gives the following list : —

112 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
i. A whole cardamom pod signifies — The patience
and gentleness of the inamorata.
2. A seed of the cardamom signifies that there will
be no trouble.
3. A cardamom half skinned signifies — " The door of
patience is opened. I am consumed with love."
4. Cloves signify — " I am roasted " (i.e. with love).
There is a current expression in Persia which says,
" You have turned my heart into roast meat," meaning,
I am consumed with love.
5. A whole piece of cinnamon signifies — " I would
sacrifice my life for thee."
6. Cinnamon in small pieces signifies — " I am sick
with love, and require a physician."
7. A whole walnut signifies — " Be not grieved, for I
belong to thee."
8. A walnut ground on one side signifies — " I have
become weak with the pain (of love), and have rubbed
this : do thou rub it likewise."
9. Sugarcane signifies — "Thou art sweet to me."
10. Chips of sandalwood signify — " Whenever I see
thee I become water."
11. Grapes have their meaning expressed in the
following verse : —
" The grapes of thy red lips may be named sugar-candy."
How many words may be uttered which come up to
the meaning.
1 2. Saffron has its meaning versified thus : —
"Thou hast made me yellow like ground saffron.
How long shall I eat grief uselessly?"

AMUSEMENTS OF THE ENDEROUN 113
13. A filbert signifies — " I am melancholy and sick."
14. A white almond, the skin of which has been
peeled off, signifies — " The world knows that I love thee."
15. A piece of coral signifies — " May thy face become
black," or, "A curse upon thee."
Instead of saying, "What have you been doing
wrong?" a Persian asks, "What dirt have you been
eating ? "
Being very religious and superstitious, the Persian
woman is much given to frequenting mosques and
going on pilgrimages. She wears a great number of
amulets, and is always ready to believe the wild stories
the dervishes tell her to extort money.
Old age — and it begins early for her — is a calamity.
Neglected by her husband, reduced almost to the rank
of a servant, she finds compensation in the love of her
sons, who generally remain faithful to her — a compensa
tion well earned, for she has shown to them in their
childhood a tenderness infinitely touching. They con
sult her in everything, and when she is a widow, or
belongs to a bad husband, they receive her into their
houses, and make her life as pleasant as possible. The
poor old creature who has no son is often ill-treated.
She tries to alleviate her fate by earning a small income
in the little businesses which are compatible with her
age — for example, that of the matrimonial go-between
with whom we are familiar from the pages of the
Arabian Nights.

114 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
One of the picturesque names that are given to her
is guisou-sefid, meaning white curl.
The old women are particularly fond of pilgrimages ;
they desire to assure their future lives. For, though
the contrary is generally believed in Europe, the gates
of the paradise of Mahomet are not shut to them.
In a number of instances they do not return from
these pilgrimages, the fatigues and privations which
they endure resulting in their deaths. If they die when
they have reached their goal they are buried in the
sacred ground, and thus realise the wish of every fervid
Mussulman. It is curious that in the country of Sa'di, the author
of the charming saying, " You must not strike a woman,
even with a flower," it is no extraordinary thing for
women to be beaten.
Mahomet said in the Koran —
" Men are superior to women because God has given
them dominion over women, and because they endow
them with their goods. Women must be obedient and
conceal the secrets of their husbands, to whose care
they have been confided by Heaven. Husbands who
suffer from their disobedience may punish them, banish
them from their bed, even beat them. Women must rely
on submission to shelter them from ill-treatment. God
is good and sublime."
Every Mussulman is therefore in the right when he
has recourse to this remedy to punish his wife. The
Persians do not ignore the privilege, and consider that

The Mosque of Koum, the favourite pilgrimage for Persian women, who appear in front.

AMUSEMENTS OF THE ENDEROUN 115
wives must sometimes be corrected like children. One
need not add that it is only among the lower class that
the practice is usual. In the educated class it is quite
exceptional. But I remember a Persian maid saying
to her mistress — an English spinster whom I knew,
" You are not married ; how happy you must be to
have no one to beat you ! "
It is very seldom nowadays that a woman is executed,
whatever her crime may be, except when the Govern
ment wishes to make an example, as happened in the
time of the persecution of the Babis. But sometimes
a notorious case of infidelity obliges the governor of
the town to take measures against the culprit. In
Tabriz lately, a married woman who had been won
by the rich presents of a merchant passing through,
transmitted by a go-between, and had gone to the
appointment, was denounced, and the governor, without
consulting the husband, had the culprit seized, tied up
in a sack, and clubbed to death.
The tower of the citadel of Tabriz is a standing
warning against the commission of adultery, for it is
from its top that women accused of that crime are
thrown down.
Near Shiraz there is a well sunk in the rock which
is used for the same purpose. It is called the Chah
Ali-Bander ; according to the Persians, it has no
bottom. The Arabs stone women taken in adultery. Mahomet
imposed the same penalty — but ordered it to be exe-

116 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
cuted in secret, as everything appertaining to women
must be.
" If one of your wives," says the Koran, " has com
mitted infidelity, call four witnesses. If their testimonies
agree against her, lock her up in your house till death
ends her career."
If one were to keep to the directions of Mahomet,
the infidelity would be rarely proved, for it is not easy
to find four witnesses to an act which all culprits
invariably conceal with the greatest care. If the
husband has surprised them himself de flagrante
delicto, he must take his oath, four times repeated,
that he has seen it, and by a fifth oath take God as
a witness of the truth of his testimony, adding that
He may punish him if he has told a lie. But should
the wife, after that, make four oaths, swearing her
innocence, and calling upon herself in a fifth oath the
Divine vengeance if her husband has not sworn falsely,
the chastisement must be adjourned till new proofs or
testimonies bring about a definite decision as to the
truth. Mahomet, in a more clement mood, condemned the
adulteress to forty lashes of the whip and six months
of exile. In the case of a slave, only half the penalty
pronounced against the free woman is inflicted.
The punishment of the guilty man is not less severe,
so powerful is the popular feeling against adultery.
It is related that a Khan, who had fallen madly
in love with a married woman, relying on his social

PUNISHMENTS OF THE ENDEROUN 117
superiority to the husband of the beloved, did not
hesitate to send his men to carry her off. When the
husband found it out, he gathered all his friends, and,
joined by a few roughs, attacked the Khan's house,
which was stormed and sacked; then, having captured
the Khan, the raging crowd inflicted upon him all sorts
of outrages — tore his beard out by the roots, blackened
his face with charcoal, crowned him with a paper cap,
and, having placed him on an ass barebacked, expelled
him from the town, to which he dared not return.
Where the woman is at fault, no better example
can be given than the horrible anecdote related by Dr.
Wills :—
" One day in Kermanshah I was surprised to meet
a procession in the street. First came all the lutis or
buffoons, the public musicians singing and dancing ; then
a crowd of drunken roughs ; then a few soldiers with
fixed bayonets; then the ' farrash-bashi,' or 'principal
tent-pitcher' — in reality, the Imad-u-dowlet's head-man
— on horseback ; then the executioner, clad in red, and
his aides ; then two wretched women, their heads shaved
and rubbed with curds, their faces bare and blackened,
dressed in men's clothes, and both seated on one donkey,
led by a negro, with their faces' to the tail (their feet had
been beaten to a pulp) ; then a crowd of some two
thousand men, women, and children. On inquiry, I
learnt that these women were attendants at a public
bath, and had betrayed the wife of a tradesman into
the hands of an admirer, who had secreted himself in

CHAPTER XIV
MARRIAGES AND TEMPORARY MARRIAGES
There are in Persia two kinds of marriages : the
permanent marriage, if one may use the expression of
a union so easily terminable by divorce ; and the
temporary marriage, which is peculiar to Persia, whose
law and religion not only permit it but sanction it
It is absolutely forbidden and condemned among the
Sunnite Mussulmans.
The Shara', or Book of the Sacred Law, in Persia
contains several hundred paragraphs anticipating all
the possibilities incidental to marriage. The first
paragraph runs as follows : —
" Marriage constitutes a commendable act for two
persons who cannot contain their carnal desires.
Different opinions are advanced as to those whose
will is strong enough to master their passion. But
marriage has the general sanction of the Prophet,
who said, ' Marry and establish a family.' ' The
worst amongst the dead are the celibates.' ' Second
only to the benefit of having the Islamic faith is
that of possessing a Mussulman wife, who rejoices
a man's eyes, obeys him, and during his absence
120

A rich Persian's house.

MARRIAGES 121
watches faithfully over his home and his posses
sions.' " Opposite opinions are founded on the celibacy of
St. John the Baptist : those who profess it base on
his example the proof of the superiority of celibacy
to marriage. However, if we consider that this
superiority is maintained by religions other than ours,
and that in our canonical books no recommendation
of the sort can be found, it must be admitted that
marriage is a commendable act."
Relying upon this, the Persians think that parents
cannot hurry too much to marry their children — they
betroth them as early as possible, sometimes when
they are three or four years old, especially in the high
families and princely houses, where occasionally a
daughter is betrothed from her birth.
The age of puberty is the age of marriage : in
Persia it begins at from ten to twelve for a girl.
Boys are less precocious, but it is not an uncommon
thing to see a father of only seventeen years old.
It is the parents who arrange the marriages. The
betrothed have generally not even seen each other
before the wedding night, called zefaf (lifting of the
veil), though in this respect the girl is more favoured,
for she may have had more than one opportunity of
seeing her future husband, who can be pointed out to
her in the street; as for him, he must content himself
(unless he makes his way secretly into the house of
his betrothed to court her ; or, better still, conceals

122 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
himself in the enderoun of his mother when she has
invited his betrothed for the purpose) with the reports
he receives from his mother or sister or some female
relation or go-between. This go-between is a char
acteristic feature of the East ; it is a regular profession,
and a lucrative one for women of a certain age, since
it requires much tact and diplomacy. In stories she
is constantly interfering in love intrigues, where she is
represented as an old harridan — pirezal.
Flirtation is consequently ignored, but the betrothed
may love each other in imagination before the marriage :
the parents have dwelt daily upon their mutual good
qualities and perfections, an innocent artifice which
paves the way for many illusions.
Putting it at its worst, the bride and bridegroom
are always favourably disposed to each other, and the
girl is happy to escape the yoke of her mother and
become the mistress of a house herself. Such being
the state of their minds on the wedding day, it is very
rare for the husband to exercise his right of divorcing
his wife if she prove to be ugly.
" He who desires to contract a marriage," says
the Shara', " must seek a wife possessing these four
qualifications : legitimate birth, virginity, purity, and
chastity." One must not be contented with beauty
and riches ; it is forbidden only to consider these two
things, which would be wise advice for other countries
besides Persia. The difficulty is to get it accepted.
This is what the Koran ordains : —

MARRIAGES 123
" Do not marry the women who have been your
father's wives. It is a crime ; it is the path of per
dition. But if the wrong is committed, keep them."
"You must not marry your mother, your daughter,
your sister, your aunt, your niece, your foster-mother,
your foster-sister, your grandmother, the daughters of
your wives, of whom you are the guardian, unless you
have not cohabited with the mother. You may not
marry your daughter-in-law, nor two sisters. But il
the crime is committed, the Lord is indulgent and
merciful." "It is forbidden to you to marry free married
women unless the fortunes of war have made them
fall into your power. Such are the laws of the Lord ;
everything else is permitted to you. Enjoy your
riches to procure chaste and virtuous wives. Avoid
debauchery. Give those whose persons you have
enjoyed the dowry appointed by the law. When you
have done this, all the arrangements that you make
together will be regular. God is wise and under
standing." " He who is not rich enough to marry free Mussul
man women should take for wives slaves belonging
to the faith. Marry slaves only with the permission
of their masters ; give them equitable settlements.
They must be chaste and free from impurity, and have
no lovers. If after the marriage they give themselves
up to debauchery, inflict on them half of the penalty
which is prescribed for free women. This law is

124 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
established in favour of those who fear adultery. You
should avoid these marriages; but the Lord is merciful
and indulgent."
When the choice of the bride is settled for a man,
his mother, or, if he has none, a female relation or a
go-between, goes and says to the father and mother
of the girl —
" Mail-darem folan pesar-ra ber-lamy kabul fer-
maiyd — We have the desire, that so and so boy your
slave you order you accept," i.e. "We wish to offer
you such a young man as your slave; it is for you
to signify your acceptance." The unconscious sarcasm
of the wording of the proposal does not hinder the
parents from accepting if they think fit. The suitor
sends a shawl and a ring. The settlement is then
discussed with the parents of the bride. It is the
guarantee for her future in case of divorce or the
death of her husband. Later on she will perhaps
give it to her son, when he marries. It consists of
a sum of money, which must not be less than ten
dirhams — a mere matter of shillings — to which are
added, according to the circumstances of the bride
groom, one or more slaves, gold in dust or ingots,
little sacks of pearls or turquoises, and a copy of the
Koran. When everything is settled, the bridegroom gives
to his betrothed's mother a sum of money for the
shirbaha — the price of milk — and he sends the betrothed
a present which consists of a number of trays of sweet-

MARRIAGES 125
meats and of coffers containing valuable articles like
cashmere shawls, embroideries, and jewels. After this
the day is fixed for the marriage, or rather the Shirini-
Khoran (eating of sweetmeats), which we may call the
contracting day, as the actual marriage takes place a
few days later.
The date of a ceremony so important to the future
happiness of the couple has naturally to be fixed by
the astrologer. The following are occasions to be
avoided — they are taken from the Book of the Law,
the Shara' : " A marriage must not be consummated
whilst the moon is in the sign of the Scorpion, nor
during an eclipse of the moon, nor on the day of an
eclipse of the sun, nor at noon-time, nor towards the
end of twilight, nor on the three last days of the
month El-Mohak, during which the moon is below
the horizon, nor between dawn and sunrise, nor during
the first night of each month except the month of
Ramadan, nor during the night of the middle of the
month, nor during a journey, a storm, or an earth
quake." On the day of Shirini- Khoran the bridegroom goes
to the bride's house, preceded by a procession of pish-
khedmets, carrying on their heads huge trays (medjmehs)
loaded with sweetmeats, sugar-candy, sugar loaves, to
sweeten the future, sherbets and fruits, all covered with
cloths more or less valuable — often with cashmere
shawls. All this for the most part is to make teshekkous

126 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
— to dazzle ; and after having been paraded thus and
exhibited at the house of the wedding, is sent back to
the merchant from whom it was hired. This brilliant
cortege makes a grand entry into the house of the bride,
amid a buzz of music and admiring exclamations from
the numerous guests. As usual, the women are in the
enderoun, and the men in the biroun.
Instead of going to the mosque, the mosque comes to
them. The Mollahs, followed by the bridegroom, his father,
his witnesses, and friends, proceed to the enderoun,
which has previously been divided in two by a curtain,
near which they stand. Behind it, quite close, are seated
the bride and her mother, surrounded by female relations
and friends, all veiled.
The witnesses must be two men or one man and two
women. They must be free, adult, of sound mind, and
Mohammedans by religion.
After it has been ascertained that there has been no
substitution of persons, the principal Mollah formally
asks the bride if she will have this man to be her
husband, and vice versa. If the question remains un
answered, the Mollah repeats it up to three times ; if she
does not answer at all, her silence is interpreted as con
sent. The same question is then put to the man.
The Mollah then pronounces the marriage formula in
Arabic, and writes out the marriage contract, in which
the amount of the settlement is stipulated. The witnesses
sign it, and it is handed to the bride, who keeps it care-

MARRIAGES 127
fully. Then the happy couple are congratulated, on
opposite sides of the curtain, and the men retire to the
biroun except the bridegroom, who, the curtain being
withdrawn, is congratulated by all the women, to each of
whom he gives a little souvenir, generally ashrefy —
pieces of gold worth one toman, if the family be rich.
Then he eats with his bride, always veiled, some
shirini, in order that their joint life may be " sweet and
sugared." After this the bridegroom retires to his male friends.
This is the signal for rejoicing ; male musicians and
dancers in the biroun, and female musicians and dancers
in the enderoun, exert themselves furiously. The guests
will gorge sweetmeats and tea and smoke kalyans till far
into the night; then the supper is served, and they
separate, making an appointment for the second part of
the wedding ceremony, which takes place a few days
later. This is celebrated at the bridegroom's house — or
rather the husband's ; for the marriage is reckoned from
the day that the contract is signed. It lasts several
days, according to the wealth of the parties. During
its continuance the guests are banqueted and amused all
day and through the best part of the night.
On the last day, the husband, accompanied by
musicians and dancers and his most intimate friends,
goes to the hammam. An elaborate toilet is gone through,
in which the depilatory paste and the razor succeed each
other, interspersed with music, collations, tea, and

128 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
kalyans, those eternal accompaniments to every Persian
rejoicing. His wife sends him a complete suit from hat to boots,
with a ring and a litde satchel of some valuable material,
filled with a pinch of sacred earth from Kerbela or
Mecca, on which he will lay his forehead when he bows
in prayer. With these she sends litde skull-caps of
cashmere, to be worn under the kolah, for each of his
friends. The husband bestows on the bearer a present
of money and all the clothes in which he entered the
hammam. In the evening the mother arrives, bringing
the bride to the husband's home. They come on horse
back or in a carriage covered with a shawl. The pro
cession is headed by musicians, a cortege of friends follows,
and the bearers of the wife's trousseau and presents follow
between two rows oifanous, huge white lanterns.
When it arrives at the gate of the house, the cortege
stops ; guns are fired ; rockets are set up ; and at the
moment when the wife crosses the threshold, one or
several lambs and young camels have their heads cut off
and thrown on the other side, so that she has to step
over the blood — which brings good luck. The sacrificed
animals are pardy eaten by the guests and partly given
to the poor.
The husband takes his wife to the enderoun, where
all the female guests are gathered to congratulate her,
and the festivities begin again, and are kept up to a late
hour, when the husband goes to the nuptial chamber to
wait for his wife, who is conducted to him by her mother.

MARRIAGES 129
Alone at last, the husband gives her the present of
the zefaf (the lifting of the veil), a mirror and a jewel ;
then she turns her back to him and holds the mirror in
front of her face, in order that it may be over her shoulder
that her husband catches his first vision of her beauty.
There is no other feature about the wedding except
that it generally ruins the bridegroom. Love of display
often leads the Persian to spend in a few days, to impress
his fellow-citizens, the money that he has taken years to
amass. The temporary marriage is a time-honoured Persian
institution, if one can judge by the legend, which says
that Rustem, the Hercules of Persia, contracted such a
union during a hunting excursion with Tamineh, the
daughter of the King of Samengan, of which a son, the
celebrated Zohrab, was born.
It existed also among the Arabs, before and during
Mahomet's lifetime ; and it was only under the Caliphate
of Omar that it was abolished. From this is derived its
prohibition in the Sunnite Mohammedan countries.
The Koran and the Hadith, or Book of Traditions,
do not mention it, and the Persians have concluded,
therefore, that the Prophet permitted it. They cite in
confirmation of this the tradition by which Mahomet
passed over such unions among his soldiers during his
campaigns. The Persian law and their religion not only allow it
but sanction it, pretending that it has been established
to avoid the plague of prostitution.
9

130 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
It is the women of the lower class, called Sighehs, or
more exactly Mouti, who devote themselves to it. Their
patrons are travellers, or those who fear the monotony of
a prolonged union, or simply those whose wives are ill,
and also those betrothed to girls not yet of a marriage
able age, who have several years to wait before they can
marry. When his choice is made, the would-be husband sends
his Vekil, or trustee, to come to an arrangement with the
Mouti 's Vekil. When they are agreed on the dowry that
the man is to give to the woman, they have recourse to
the Mollah.
According to the law, four conditions are requisite for
the validity of this marriage : —
First, the contract, which must be made by a man of
law or a Mollah.
Secondly, that the woman should belong to one of the
four revealed religions : Islamism, Judaism, Christianity,
or Zoroastrianism. In case a man has been deceived
and has married a woman belonging to none of these
religions, he must be careful that during the time of their
union she does not drink wine, and does not eat any of
the elements considered unclean. There are some minor
conditions which go with this.
Thirdly, the dowry, which may be more disrespectfully
spoken of as the "rent." This is the most important
feature. It must be of a nature which can be weighed
or measured — anything from gold dust to corn — and
whatever amount the Mouti will accept. Jt must be

MARRIAGES 131
described in detail in the contract. The man can dissolve
it, but in this case he must pay half the dowry to the
woman, if they have been living together less than the
half of the agreed time ; if this period is exceeded, the
dowry must be paid in full when they part
Fourthly, the definition of the term of marriage, which
can be from a fraction of a day to ninety-nine years.
When the fixed period is over, the parties may renew
it if they choose. The woman cannot re-marry before
the expiration of a lunar month, this lapse of time ensur
ing that she is not enceinte. If that be the case, she
must wait four months and ten days. The parties cannot
divorce or inherit from each other.
When the contract is made, the Mouti 's Vekil address
ing the man's Vekil, says, " Do you agree to give me
your soul according to the conditions made ? " If the reply
is in the affirmative, the seals of the Mollah and the two
Vekils are impressed on the contract, which is handed to
the " lady," and the ceremony is over.
Though the law makes no provision for the children,
they are generally acknowledged by the father, who
provides for their maintenance until they can support
themselves. As the law forbids divorce to those who marry tem
porarily, it happens sometimes that women of a better
social position have recourse to this marriage in order
to ensure the permanence of their union.
It is useless to speak of the deplorable effects
which result from these marriages. One can cite as an

132 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
example what happens in the provinces of Ghilan and
Mazanderan, where every year at the time of the rice
harvest the peasants marry temporarily such women as
they judge necessary to help them in their work, and
when the winter comes and the contract expires, abandon
them, and may or may not marry the same wives next
year.

CHAPTER XV

DIVORCE

Divorce is obtained in Persia most easily. However,
it is common only among the lower classes. The men
of the upper classes have recourse to it rarely, because of
the scandal attached to it, and because they do not like
a woman who has penetrated the intimacy of their life
to divulge its secrets.
According to the Shara', it must be pronounced by
the husband in the presence of two witnesses. The
Arabic formula is the only valid one. It can be expressed
in three ways : " Enti talekoun, Thou divorced," " Folanet
talekoun, Such a one is divorced," or " Hazi talekoun,
This one is divorced." It must be expressed distinctly
and spoken, for if written it has no value unless it is
necessitated by dumbness. When the formula has been
pronounced, the woman must cover herself with a veil,
retire to her apartment, and not allow herself to be seen
for a lunar month. If he has only one wife, the husband
has no need to mention her name. If he has several, it
is important that he should pronounce it in the formula,
for if he does not, it is only by drawing lots that the
woman who is to be divorced can be designated. The
133

134 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
divorce cannot be pronounced by a husband under ten
years of age or of unsound mind.
It depends, therefore, entirely on the will of the
husband, who, under the pretext that the wife is bad-
tempered, barren, extravagant, excessively lean, invalid,
or blind, can repudiate her. Adultery does not enter this
category, because death settles that.
There are reasons for repudiation even more remark
able in our eyes. The man who, being already married,
is ambitious of having a princess as his wife, must have
recourse to divorce to get rid of his existing wives : this
is the only case where polygamy is forbidden. Occasion
ally a new and very much loved wife will demand that
those who are already in the enderoun should be
repudiated. The only drawback for the husband is that he must
pay the dowry if the action is his. For this reason
husbands are to be found, who, in order to avoid this
nuisance, ill-treat and beat their wives till they themselves
move for divorce — since in that case there is no necessity
to pay anything.
On her side, the woman who wants to divorce her
husband without losing her dowry, can, if she is dealing
with a weak husband, have recourse to the same means,
and make his life insupportable in order tofc force him to
repudiate her.
When she wants to obtain a divorce, the woman
goes to the Mollah, and shows the sole of her
slipper.

DIVORCE 135
As always in Mussulman countries, the law favours
the husband.
If it is in a passion that he repudiates his wife, the
divorce is effective only when he has pronounced it
three times.
If after having signified his desire to divorce her, he
changes his mind, the divorce is annulled. But when
he has done it three times he has no longer the power to
take back his wife, unless she has married somebody
else, and is freed by his divorce or death. In the case
of a slave, a time and a half is sufficient, as they are liable
to only half of the punishments inflicted on free women.
To avoid the difficulty of determining what once and a
half means, the doctors of the law have made once and
a half count as twice.
As Heaven is always open to making arrangements,
the husband has a loophole for taking back the wife who
has been three times repudiated. The law having fixed
as a minimum term for this union one night, which must
be spent in the house of the husband, recourse is made to
accommodating men who for the sake of a sum of money
marry the "lady " in question and undertake to repudiate
her on the next morning.
The stories they tell in Persia to illustrate the
workings of the law are some of them very amusing.
The best, perhaps, is that of the ill-tempered old
merchant of Nishapur, who, in a fit of passion, divorced
a beautiful and highly connected young wife for the
third time. She went back to her father's house, and

136 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
tried her best to win her family over to her side. But
it was in vain — not only had her old ruffian of a husband
won their consent to her marriage by the largeness of
the dowry he had offered, but he had been in the habit
of giving them handsome presents ever since.
The only friend she had in the house was her old
nurse, who for reasons of her own was very anxious
that she should marry a man called Omar, a Turkoman
of great personal beauty and high birth, who was
brother to the favourite wife of the governor of the
town, but very poor, because he had offended his father.
The nurse desired to find a rich and beautiful wife
for Omar, but knew that the parents of the old merchant's
divorced wife would never consent to her marriage with
a poor Turkoman ; so she was in despair as to how she
should carry out her purpose, until the merchant himself
put the game into her hands.
As soon as his fury had worn off, he fell into a
passion of regret at having lost such a charming and
beautiful wife, but as he had pronounced the decree of
divorce three times, he could only get her back by her
marrying again and losing her new husband by death
or divorce. There was no reason why this should present any
great difficulty or delay, because in Persia it is not
difficult to find a man of sufficiently good appearance
and position who is so badly off as to be willing, for the
sake of a hundred tomans, to marry the woman under
an oath to divorce her after the shortest possible period

DIVORCE 137
of marriage, which is one day. This is no sinecure, for
the Persians have such a genius for derision, that to do
such an undignified thing is to lay yourself open to
ridicule for the rest of your life.
Then the intrigue began : the nurse sang the charms
of Omar to the girl. Omar's sister, the governor's
favourite wife, who had seen the girl at the baths,
inflamed his passion with descriptions of her beauty
and his mind with the amount of her dowry.
The pair were deeply in love with each other before
ever their eyes met.
The next thing to do was to contrive that the choice
of a temporary husband made by the old merchant's
agent should fall on Omar.
Omar showed all the Oriental's subtle power of
intrigue in placing himself incidentally in the path of the
agent, and in inspiring him with the requisite idea that
he was a man of high family and in desperate cir
cumstances owing to his inflexible adherence to his
word. The agent approached Omar. Omar repulsed him,
saying that whether he was poor or not could not be of
the slightest consequence to the agent.
The latter, imagining that he had found exactly the
right man for the affair, at once began on his side to
intrigue to secure him, and was at length successful.
The understanding was that Omar should receive
one hundred tomans if he would marry the girl and on
the next morning divorce her.

138 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
The old merchant chose a very lonely house in the
outskirts of the city for the wedding night of his wife
and Omar, because he wished everything to be done
as secretly as possible.
The marriage duly took place, and on the following
morning the merchant went to claim the fulfilment of
the bargain. But when he arrived there he was met
by two savage Turkoman warriors, who made him hold
their horses, and by and by twenty more of them rode
up, headed by their chief.
It soon appeared that Omar and his lovely young
bride had not the least intention of seeking for a divorce ;
that they had only married in this way to overcome the
opposition of the bride's family. But anticipating that
the merchant would use every means in his power to
compel the fulfilment of the bargain, Omar had sent
word to his father, the Turkoman chief, that he had
secured a rich and beautiful wife, and should need his
aid in carrying her off. The father promptly received
Omar back into his favour, and rode with a score of
tribesmen to help him. The fact that the place chosen
by the merchant to keep things secret was so lonely and
out of the way made this very easy.
Presently Omar and his bride came out, and were
escorted to the mountains by the Turkomans, who left
two of their number with the merchant to prevent him
giving the alarm till they had a sufficient start.
The merchant lodged a complaint with the governor,
but was put off on one excuse after another : now the

DIVORCE 139
governor was ill, now he had gone away on a hunting
expedition. At length the merchant remembered that
the governor's favourite wife was the sister of Omar,
and then he went about his business, a sadder and a
wiser man.

CHAPTER XVI

POLYGAMY

Polygamy is less general in Persia than one would
believe. We found our ideas of Oriental harems upon
the exceptions, of which we naturally hear most. For
example, as we are told that Nasr-ed-din left fifteen
hundred widows, we cannot imagine the smallest harem
without a profusion of women. The harem, properly
speaking, is a luxury ; and just as there are men in
Europe who have no motor car, so there are men in
Persia who have no harem. The harem of Nasr-ed-din
was so extensive because he never missed an opportunity
of augmenting it. This dashing sovereign often recruited
young women on his hunting and shooting expeditions.
He had a marked predilection for young peasant girls,
and when he was passing a village would sometimes send
his eunuchs into it to order the male population to dis
appear, and the female population to dress in their best
and draw up in two lines in the principal street for His
Majesty to inspect them.
As Shah he had the power of life or death over all
his subjects, and was also legally lord and master of all
their women, married or not.
140

POLYGAMY 141
When everything was ready, he came, escorted by
his eunuchs, and passed, often remaining on horseback,
with as much seriousness as if it was a military review,
between the two lines of provoking and languishing
looks and smiles. For if the ideal of every male Persian
is to become Grand Vizier, every Persian woman
cherishes the hope of becoming a wife of the Shah.
Her family shares her hope, for showers of presents and
favours rain upon the relatives of the Lord's Elect.
When Nasr-ed-din chose a girl, he had her sent straight
to Teheran, where she received lessons in etiquette,
deportment, and sometimes in dancing. If it was dis
covered that an unmarried woman was no longer a
virgin before she was presented to the Shah, she was
returned, if she was not poisoned.
Her sisters often accompanied her to the Royal
harem, intoxicated with visions of luxury, gaiety, and
wealth. When the Shah chose a married woman, the
husband found that it was much to his interest : the
more or less sumptuous presents indemnified him for the
loss of his wife, and he lost no time in finding a sub
stitute — or several ; for the mere fact of having had in
his possession a wife who had attracted the Royal notice
proved that he brought luck to those connected with
him. This, added to the weight of the Royal presents,
turned the balance heavily in his favour in the matri
monial market.
These women whom the Shah brought back from his
expeditions seldom achieved the position of legitimate

142 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
wives, except in the rare instances of their becoming
mothers, when they had a right to the title in every
respect. But they and their suites contributed to increase
the population of the harem, from which the veterans were
never discharged.
There were also the women sent as presents to His
Majesty. The governors of the provinces sent, as they
still send, " beautiful maidens amongst the New Year's
offerings, and in the exchange of presents between
Oriental sovereigns, if rhorses are always to be found,
it is no less true that there are always young girls and
young boys. This custom has always existed in the
East. We find it in a letter addressed by the Governor
of Egypt to Mahomet himself : —
" I have read the letter in which you invite me to
embrace Islamism. This departure deserves reflection.
I knew that another prophet would arise (after Jesus),
but I imagined that he would appear in Syria. In any
case, I have received your envoy with high honours.
He will present you on my behalf two young Copt maidens
of noble extraction. I have added to this present a white
mule, a silver-grey riding ass, garments of Egyptian
linen, choice honey, and butter " (Ahmed-ben-Joseph).
After each of his visits to Constantinople the Shah
brought back young beauties presented by the Sultan.
And in the good old times when the Caucasus, the
country of beautiful women, was a Persian province,

POLYGAMY 143
the governor never missed sending every year to his
sovereign a vast number of young Georgian and Cir
cassian slaves of both sexes, who, distributed among the
grandees of the kingdom, have certainly exercised a
great influence in making the race so beautiful.
All these, "added to the political wives, the slaves,
and the servants, made the Royal harem a regular
barrack. So there is, then, nothing extraordinary in
Nasr-ed-din leaving fifteen hundred widows at his
death. The Shah's widows, apart from the principal wives
who had their fortunes made, and became Imperial
widows, were generally dismissed by his successor, and
found husbands among the small merchants and trades
men of Teheran. These were proud to take women who
had had the distinction of belonging to the Royal house
hold ; for even if the wives were not very fascinating,
they still had the halo of Royal favour, .... and some
jewels and a little money.
The grandfather of Nasr-ed-din, Feth Ali Shah the
Magnificent, had a harem far more considerable. It is
said that when he died there were one thousand of his
descendants, . . . and the founder of the dynasty was
a eunuch! But it is not from the Royal harem that one must
derive one's ideas of polygamy in Persia. Mahomet
allowed four legitimate wives to the ordinary believer ;
the caliphs and the sovereign, of course, are above that.
Mahomet himself had nine wives, without counting the

144 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
" slaves of the right hand " taken in the wars against the
infidels. To some of his followers who remarked on it he
answered as is found in the Koran : " Do not desire to
be equal to him whom God has raised above you. The
portion of everyone will be the fruit of his labours.
Ask the mercy of the Lord. He has the knowledge of
all things!" (Soura iv. Women, ver. 36).
And the Koran, chap, xxxiii. (the Conspirators),
ver. 49, says : " O Prophet, it is permitted to thee to
marry the women that thou hast dowered, the captives
that God has made fall into thy hands, the daughters of
thy uncles and of thy aunts, who have fled with thee, and
every faithful woman who may give her heart to thee.
It is a privilege that we accord to thee."
And ver. 50 : " We know the laws of marriage that
we have established for the faithful. Do not fear that
thou wilt transgress in using thy rights. God is indulgent
and merciful."
Nearly all the Prophet's wives were political ; there
was only one virgin, the daughter of Abou-Bekr. It is
from this that the name of her father came : Abou-Bekr
means the father of the virgin. To his four legitimate
wives a man is allowed to add as many concubines as he
can support, but he is ordered not to forget their comfort.
To show an example, Mahomet had a separate house for
each of his wives, in which she had her own servants ;
and he made an attempt, in spite of the predilection he
had for Ayesha, not to show favour to one more than to

A famous pilgrimage shrine near Teheran-the tomb of Shah Abd-oul- Azim, surrounded
by Mollahs and Seyyeds.

POLYGAMY 145
another, not to visit one more than another, so as not to
make them jealous. However, he says in the Koran :
" You will not in spite of your efforts, be able to love
your wives equally ; but you must keep the balance
even between them" (Soura iv. ver. 128).
The Persian in general is contented with one legi
timate wife. If he tried to have several, the troubles
which would befall his home would very soon drive him
to the divorce court, and bring him back to monogamy.
For every legitimate wife desires to be the mistress of
the house ; and unless the birth or fortune of one puts
her in a situation so superior to the others as to compel
them to bow to her will, the wives will quarrel to such a
degree, and make each other so miserable, that the poor
husband will suffer. It is, in fact very rare for several
wives of equal position to live in harmony. When they
hate each other — and God knows what excellent reasons
they have for that — they are driven to expedients of
which poison is not the worst : nor is poisoning un
common. The sensible Persian contents himself with the wife
who has been chosen for him by his parents, and when
he thinks proper he relieves the monotony of his
enderoun by the purchase of a beautiful young slave.
This personage, as she remains a slave, does not affect
the position of the legitimate wife, whom she is bound
to obey. However, jealousy may none the less drive
the wife to hate the slave if she is too young and
beautiful, and this poor creature will find only a very thin
10

146 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
shield in the love of her master against the poisoned
darts of the neglected wife. The latter will inflict a
variety of torments on her. The lack of education in the
Persian woman keeps her at such a very low level of
mentality, that she will not reject the most ignoble means
in her attempts to overthrow and dethrone her rival ;
and if she still has a little authority over her husband,
either in virtue of her fortune or of her family, she will
take the opportunity of inflicting some corporal punish
ment even for the slightest fault.
The prospect of such a home would encourage the
Persian to remain a bachelor if, for one thing, the fact of
being a bachelor were not in bad odour ; and for another,
he were not confident in the superiority of the rights
conferred on his sex proving sufficient to enforce peace
in his home. As with us, this depends much upon his
energy. For when the wife sees the opportunity of
acquiring absolute power, she -flakes a point of over
doing it. Stories about shrews are very popular;
there is something farcical or mythological about most
Persian stories. The following is a fair example of
them : —
A man had a wife who was the plague of his life.
At last he could bear it no longer, and threw her down
a well, determined, no matter what should happen, to
abandon her to her fate. But three days later he relented,
and let a rope down the well for her to come up by if
she was still alive. Instead of her a huge dragon came
up. The man was terribly frightened ; he felt sure that

POLYGAMY 147
the dragon would devour him ; but instead of devouring
him, it overwhelmed him with gratitude and promises of
favours for having delivered it from the society of such
a terrible companion. As the reward for leaving his
wife in the well, the dragon entered into a conspiracy
with him. It arranged to go and coil itself round the
body of the king's daughter. Then, after the astrologers
and magicians had used all their skill in vain in the
attempt to deliver her, the man was to come to the
king, and say, " Sire, I am the only person who can
save your daughter ; if I do not succeed, you may
kill me."
The dragon would recognise him and release her,
and the king would of course recompense the saviour of
his daughter with splendid presents. The dragon made
it a stipulation that if he seized any other princess the
man was not to interfere, on penalty of death.
The plot was duly put into execution. The dragon
went and coiled himself round the daughter of the
Shah, and after every remedy had been tried without
success, the man came and presented himself before
the Shah, saying, " Sire, I am the only person who can
save your daughter ; if I do not succeed, you may
kill me."
Then the dragon knew him, and went away, leaving
the princess free ; and the king bestowed her upon her
deliverer, and gave him an enormous fortune.
After a time the dragon went and coiled itself round
the body of a princess of Franghistan. The King of

148 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Franghistan, who had heard of the marvellous rescue of
the Shah's daughter, sent an embassy loaded with costly
presents to the Court of Persia, praying her rescuer to
come and free his daughter also. But the man re
membered what he had promised the dragon, and was
afraid to go.
His Royal father-in-law naturally did not understand
the reason, and was furious, and insisted that he should
go- At last the man had to go, but he was in terror what
would happen to him for breaking his contract with
the dragon. So his journey was very gloomy, and he
was shaken with nervousness until at the last moment
an idea came to him.
When he arrived in the presence of the dragon and
the princess, he said to the dragon, " I have not
broken my word. I did not come to deliver the
princess, but only to tell you that my wife has succeeded
in getting out of the well, and is coming to avenge
herself upon you as quickly as she can."
The dragon, remembering the terrible time he had
had with her, flew away, for he knew the proverb that it
is better to dwell in a wilderness than with a querulous and
angry woman.
Here is another bazar story : —
In Persia a wealthy or powerful man always has
hangers-on, who are not servants, and do not receive
any pay, but live in his shadow, eat his food, ride his ,
horses, sometimes even wear his old clothes, and above

Joseph entering: Zuleikha's harem.

Photo by P. Bataille.

[Collection of the Author.

POLYGAMY 149
all enjoy his protection. They are his "men." In return
they render all sorts of services when they get a chance,
and of course make his retinue look more important.
Abd-Oullah was such a friend to Ali-Khan, a very
wealthy and influential merchant of Ispahan, who was so
delighted with his charm and cleverness, and so pleased
with his services, that he thought he would make a
very good son-in-law, and suggested him as such to his
beautiful daughter. She was very overbearing and bad-
tempered, and thinking that he was rather nice-looking
and that she would have a pull over him with her money,
agreed to it. So they were married. Soon his friends
came to congratulate him, amongst them Houssein,
who was known to have a very overbearing and bad-
tempered wife. He said, " I congratulate you on your
marriage." Abd- Allah replied, " I am so pleased that
my happiness gives so much gratification to my friends."
Houssein was astonished, and continued, "Are you
really happy with a woman who is known to have such
a bad temper ? " "I assure you that she is perfectly
charming, and that I am perfectly happy." " May I ask
how you manage it ? " " Certainly. On the night of my
marriage I went into her apartments in uniform with my
sword on. She did not take any notice of me, but put
on a supercilious air and made a parade of stroking her
cat. I quietly picked up the cat and cut off his head with
my sword ; took the head in one hand, the body in the
other, and threw them out of the window. My bride was
amazed but she did not show it ; and after a few seconds

150 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
she broke into a smile, and has been a most submissive
and charming wife ever since." Houssein went straight
home, and as soon as it was night-time put on his uniform
and went into the harem. The domestic pet came to
greet him ; he seized it with the hand that was accustomed
to caress it, drew his sword, and with a single blow
decapitated it. At the same moment he received a blow in
the face, and before he had recovered from his astonish
ment a second and a third, and between the blows his
wife hissed out, " I can see to whom you have been
speaking — but you are too late ; it was on the first night
that you ought to have done this."
The husband of a princess of the Imperial tribe
cannot have any other wife. He is under her absolute
control, and must submit to her wishes.
If she is not. faithful to him, he can only recognise the
fact and keep his complaints to himself.
Polygamy is more ordinary in the country districts,
where women help their husbands in their work.
There are very few instances of European women
having married Persians, but a Swiss governess of the
children of an ex- Secretary of the Persian Legation in
Vienna married him when they came to Teheran, and
she lives like a Persian woman in the enderoun, and
goes out in the " black phantom " dress worn by the
Mussulman women. She is not happy. A French
woman is also said to have tried the harem life,
and to have been so well satisfied with it that she

POLYGAMY 151
refused to leave it when her parents came to take her
away. The most curious story in this connection is that of
Kitty Greenfield, the daughter of an ex-British resident
who died in Persia, where he had property. Kitty fell
in love with the wild beauty of a Kurdish chief, and as
her mother, an Armenian, with whom she lived near
Sauj-Boulak, on the estate left by her father, very astutely
opposed the match, which appeared to her monstrous,
Kitty was abducted by her lover on horseback. Pretty,
seventeen years old, and rich, she was a prize for the
Kurdish chief, who took her to his house in Sauj-Boulak,
where the marriage was celebrated. In order to belong
more entirely to her ravisher, she became a Mussulman.
Her mother in despair had recourse to the English
Legation, who referred the complaint to the Shah. Orders
were immediately given to compel the Kurdish chief to
give up the young woman, and to take her away by
force in case he refused. The Kurd called the whole
tribe to his aid, and made an armed resistance to the
authorities of the province. The Shah was furious, and
ordered troops to be sent, which blockaded Sauj-Boulak,
and it was only after a serious action, in which the Kurds
were surrounded, that they decided to give up Kitty, who
was put in a place of security to await the orders of the
Shah. A few days afterwards His Majesty ordered her
to be freed, and, to the amazement and horror of all
Europeans, she declared her wish to go back to her
husband ; and as, according to the Mussulman law known

152 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
as the Jedid-oul- Islam, every Christian converted to
Mohammedanism has the right to claim all the properties
of the family, the Kurdish chief had recourse to the law,
and the property in which the mother of Kitty had a life
interest would have been taken from her if the attempt
had not been frustrated by the British Legation.
The fate of Kitty is not known.

CHAPTER XVII

THE SHAHS HAREM

With the exception of the Shah and the eunuchs, no
men but a few doctors are permitted to enter that sanctu
ary the harem of the Shah — harem being an Arab word
which means sacred. A medical man, who shall be called
Solyman to preserve his incognito, lifted for me the corner
of the jealous veil which envelopes this feminine city. He
first secured his footing in the enderoun in this manner.
The secluded life and the lack of education make the
women of the enderoun very difficult patients. Dr.
Solyman complains bitterly of their childish naivete* and
superstition, which obliged him to depend more on diplo
matic talent than medical science.
When he came back from London, where he had
spent some years at St Bartholomew's Hospital, he was
appointed one of the doctors of the harem of His Majesty.
His d^but was difficult, for the other Persian doctors,
jealous of his science, and fearing to see him grow at
their expense, leagued against him. They criticised his
prescriptions, and advised the patients not to take the
medicines prepared by a man who had remained so long
in contact with unclean Christians that he was impreg-

154 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
nated with their impurity ; and, further, his prescriptions
were declared to be contrary to all the principles laid
down by the " kings of medicine," Lokman, Galen, and
Avicenna. Had he not ordered a patient suffering from
fever to give up his iced drinks for a hot potion, which
is the surest way to increase fever, since Mahomet him
self has said that fever is the fire of hell, and that it must
be combated with cold water? The Prophet, when he
was attacked by a violent fever, used to call his wives to
throw cold water over his head.
Dr. Solyman, in spite of his appointment as official
doctor of the harem, was not consulted by any of the
Imperial wives. Only servants and slaves had recourse
to his services.
However, on a hot spring afternoon, when he was
retained to attend a slave of the Favourite, whose grave
state necessitated his constant presence, someone came
to tell him that the princess, who was having her siesta,
had started out of her sleep screaming, being a prey to
terrible pains. As there was no other doctor within call,
he was asked to come and attend her.
The Favourite was in the zirzamin, the underground
chamber with a low vaulted ceiling, paved with white
marble, and with richly tiled walls, which is the favourite
refuge of the Persian in summer. Sunk in the centre
was a fountain with a jet of water which distributed a
refreshing coolness. A crowd of women surrounded the
princess. She was lying on a thin mattress spread on
the marble in one of the arched recesses, between the two

Zirzamin— underground hall used in summer.

THE SHAH'S HAREM 155
doorways, facing each other to create a continual draught
These are the characteristics of the zirzamin.
On the arrival of Dr. Solyman, the women drew their
veils over their faces, and the eunuch rushed to the gate
and stopped him while a curtain was erected in front of
the recess to allow the doctor to approach the princess
without seeing her. When the doctor was at her side, he
could at first only elicit moans in reply to his questions ;
but the patient being pressed at last gave him to under
stand, in sentences broken by lamentations, that after her
lunch she had fallen asleep as usual, and that she had
seen herself, in her sleep, surrounded by bad djinns, who
had pierced her chest with invisible darts, which gave her
horrible pains. Upon that, to the astonishment of the
people present, Dr. Solyman turned to the eunuch and
asked, without paying any attention to the djinns, what
the princess had eaten for lunch. When he learned that
her mdnu consisted of iced mast-khyar (cucumber and
curds), he understood that nothing was the matter except
indigestion. However, being a conventional man, he
wanted to draw an exact diagnosis of the case. She
consented to let him feel her pulse, and an arm emerged
from the curtain. He felt the pulse, but when he desired
to see the tongue he had to enter on a lengthy parley
before the curtain opened far enough to let the princess,
closely veiled, show him the tip of her tongue. Dr.
Solyman wrote his prescription, and the mother of the
princess, a very superstitious person, performed the
Estekhareh, seized her beads at a chance place, and then

156 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
-began to tell them off to the end, as we count cherry
stones on a plate. The result was favourable : the pre
scription could be taken. But at the same moment the
regular doctor of the princess, who had been sent for,
arrived. Everybody turned from Dr. Solyman and his
prescription, as if he had never been there.
When the regular doctor had prescribed in his turn,
the Estekhareh was performed again, and this time the
result was unfavourable. Heaven had declared itself;
Dr. Solyman triumphed. His prescription produced such
a good and prompt effect that the delighted princess
would not have any other doctor from that day forward.
Let us now enter the Porte des Voluptes with Dr.
Solyman. It is in the orangery. Is this by the irony of
fortune or by the symbolic will of the sovereign, who
wishes to surround the gate of his harem by the emblem
of virginity ? The massive gate, adorned with golden
locks and bolts, was formerly guarded by two gigantic
deaf and dumb negroes, always ready to fell with their
clubs of silver with gold spikes any rash man who sought
to gather the golden apples of these Eastern Hesperides.
To-day, fear of the death penalty which would instantly
be inflicted on the trespasser has taken the place of the
negroes, and their clubs have been coined into money.
Once through the gate you are in a courtyard sur
rounded by the quarters of the eunuchs. There are
about forty in the Imperial harem, and here only are they
numerous, for you seldom find eunuchs in the harems of

THE SHAH'S HAREM 157
Persia except those of grandees. The eunuch is a luxury ;
he is very expensive to buy. The most esteemed are the
tall bronzed Abyssinian and the black of the Soudan. A
thousand pounds or more is paid for one. Pale or white
eunuchs bought in the Persian or Turkish markets are
less valuable. They are always beardless, and generally
ugly — sometimes terribly, repulsively ugly. Some are
lean and sickly-looking, with a hanging underlip and the
grin of a skull ; others are corpulent and effeminate.
Their limbs are generally disproportionately long ; their
bodies are slouching and disjointed ; they have a woman's
mincing gait, and cracked falsetto voices. Their passions
are excessive ; it is said, also, that they add woman's vices
to those of man. This is why they do not enjoy much
confidence from their masters or mistresses, who alter
nately buy their disequilibriated consciences, so that they
cannot be considered reliable guards. But of course their
master has the power of life and death over them, which
makes them think twice before winking at trespassers.
They no longer have a special dress ; they are attired
like other men.
As there are exceptions to all rules, there also are
eunuchs endowed with "all sorts of good qualities."
Among them may be mentioned Aziz Khan, a eunuch
presented by Nazr-ed-din Shah to the ex-Grand Vizier,
Amin-es-Sultan. He accompanied his master several
times to Europe, where his beauty and his manners
caused him to be taken for a woman dressed as a man.
He enjoyed a certain amount of influence over his master.

158 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
He lives like a great personage, and does not perform
the duties of his profession. The confidant of the Grand
Vizier, who used not to disdain his advice, he has the
establishment which suits such a position, and also the
consideration — at least apparent — of everybody. He was
often the channel to which people had recourse if they
had a request to make of the Grand Vizier, to whom he
had free access. The principal Imperial wives have
their own eunuchs ; the other women are in the charge
of a corps of eunuchs, who acknowledge the authority of
the Khadjeh-Bashi, or chief eunuch.
From that Eastern corps de garde a corridor leads
to a second gate, which opens on a large square garden
full of geometrical parterres of shrubs and flowers, with
very high plane trees stripped of all their boughs except
a tuft at the top. This garden is surrounded with in
numerable quarters for the Shah's ladies, buildings of
two storeys, which have a brilliant effect as they encircle
the grOunds with the elaborate tracery of their arched
windows — an effect enhanced by the glitter of gorgeous
tiles. In this huge square come and go bevies of women in
the national indoor costume, with an immense veil of
light cotton or silk laid over the top of the head, in
which they envelope themselves more or less, or leave it
open and trailing on the ground.
The late Shah did not follow the example of his pre
decessors. Dr. Solyman says that he had only twelve
wives. The enderoun was not much less crowded for

THE SHAH'S HAREM 159
that reason, for the relations, the slaves, and the
servants of these wives — musicians, dancers, fortune
tellers, jesters, merchants, all of them necessarily
females — gave a constant animation to the " Palais
des Voluptes."
All these women seemed to live in a perpetual antici
pation of the Judgment of Paris. It was who should
be the most beautiful ; who should possess the most
fascinating wardrobe. Jewels and precious stones ex
cited the greatest covetousness. The Shah distributed
them prodigally, and on his birthday and at the New
Year he gave away turquoises, sapphires, pearls, rubies,
emeralds, even diamonds, by handfuls.
This did not hinder them from buying jewels on
their own account from the merchant women who come
into the harem. They desired to eclipse their rivals by
the richness of the fabrics which they wore. Silks of
Resht, velvets of Kashan, shawls of Kirman, could not
be too expensive ; and fabrics from Europe were not less
popular. Worth, the great Parisian dressmaker, sells off
in Teheran his special silks, when they are left on his
hands long enough to be out of fashion. He had a
very clever lady there to represent him, who was adored
by all the fair of Teheran.
Often a woman who wants to be the only possessor of
a specialty buys the whole roll at no matter what price.
They have much more tendency to do this now, for
several times a woman, jealous of the admiration which
a rival had won with a costume of a new material, would

160 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
buy some of the same material, and have a costume
made of it for one of her slaves, and then invite the
" dear friend " to tea served by that slave. The rival's
gratification can be imagined.
• ••••••
In the middle of the enderoun garden stands a
ravishing white palace, square in shape, two storeys
high, culminating in a terrace with an openwork
balustrade supporting vases at intervals. This, which
is suggestive of the Yildiz Kiosk at Constantinople, is
the Khab-gah, or Palace of Sleep.
There is a very low ground floor, surrounded by a
circular colonnade supporting the balcony that goes
round the first floor, to which a broad white marble
staircase of fifteen steps gives access.
Numerous French windows, very high and wide,
open on all four sides of the house, which has a richly
sculptured cornice. It is a very bright and white
building, loaded with delicate sculptural ornamentations.
Here the present Shah, like his father before him, sleeps
under a gtiard of eunuchs and women, who have this
special appointment ; for in the enderoun the func
tionaries of the biroun are duplicated.
Among the chief of them are the Privy-Confidante,
the Keeper of the Chest, the Mistress of Ceremonies,
the Mistress of the Wardrobe, the Keeper of the Jewels,
the Sender-to-Sleep, and so on.
All the time that he is sleeping, the Shah is massaged.
Since every Oriental woman wishes to have a child —

THE SHAHS HAREM 161
for the sterile woman is covered with opprobrium, and
sterility spells divorce — maternity becomes a passion for
every woman of the Imperial harem, and her sole object.
A child is the most valuable pledge of the favour of the
King, the living pledge which opens the largest field to
ambitions — if he is male. Who knows that this son
may not become a favourite ? His mother will then be
loaded with favours and honours. Therefore there is no
pilgrimage from which a woman will shrink, no sacrifice
that she will hesitate to make, to get the precious
talisman — no medicine that she would fear to take.
Unscrupulous doctors and dervishes freely exploit the
credulity accentuated in these grown-up children by the
passion for maternity. The most extravagant medicine
and charms are often tried, purchased at their weight in
gold. If wolfs gall rubbed on the abdomen does not
succeed, the wife will try the swallowing of a little of
the sacred earth from Kerbela. One wife, with whom
all these attempts had been unsuccessful, was advised, as
a last resort, to grate every day a piece of a brick which
was supposed to be brought from the tomb t>f a holy
Imam, and to take it internally after early morning
prayer. She took this prescription so scrupulously that
after a while she died of it.
Among the most highly esteemed talismans are the
dried skin of a hyaena, monkey's liver, lynx's hair, and
the backbone of an owl — not to mention the most
amazing decoctions and broths, and of course tran
scribed prayers which are enclosed in leather for hanging
ii

162 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
round the neck and waist, or invocations and sacred or
cabalistic names written on parchment, which is washed
in a cup of hot water for the ink to dissolve. The water
is then regarded as impregnated with the virtue of the
words, and drunk as a potion when making a wish. If
one adds a pinch of the powdered muzzle of a monkey
— which is made by charring it — the effect is much
heightened. The occupations and amusements of the Shah's wives
are restricted and little varied. Like all the rich Persian
women, they never use their fingers. Even embroidery
and lace-making are left to inferiors. Most of the time
is spent in idling, chattering, and visiting, always relieved
by kalyans, cups of tea, and sweetmeats.
Like their less fortunate sisters, generally they have
no education. It appears, however, that some of the
wives of the late sovereign have been educated. One
of them has the reputation of being literary — a poetess.
She has sung the praise of her master in every mood,
and all the marvels of creation are cited in her poems for
comparison with the King-of-Kings.
Intrigue is also one of their favourite occupations —
intrigue to take away from a rival the favour of the
King, or political intrigue. An instinctive diplomacy is
brought into action in these cases with rare ability.
This is why some ambitious men have recourse to the
help of their wives, who, by presents and flattery,
win influential support in the Shah's harem. More
than one important affair has been brought to a sue-

THE SHAH'S HAREM 163
cessful conclusion, more than one favour obtained
thus. The women of the harem are childish and easily
amused. Marvellous stories, more or less based on the
Arabian Nights, in which the details relating to love
are recounted with inconceivable crudity, the buffooneries
of old women, their burlesque imitations, their clownings,
ravish them. One of these has won in Teheran the re
putation and vogue of an Yvette Guilbert with us. She
tells stories and illustrates them herself, impersonating
the characters of the romance. She imitates with as
much fidelity the shy attitude of a blushing bride as
the simpering of a middle-aged woman. And when a
dragon, a devil, or a djinn comes into the plot, she
succeeds in pulling the skin of her face, turning up her
nose with a string, turning her eyelids out, and so on,
assuming the most terrible and monstrous aspects
imaginable. A story told by her is as much ap
preciated in Teheran, and as highly paid, as a mono
logue by Chevalier in London,
Music, singing, dancing, are popular. There is a
sort of academy where little girls with promising looks
are instructed in these arts with a view to the Imperial
enderoun. The Rakkass, or dancers, make their ddbut very
early ; it is not an uncommon thing to see a child of ten
years old dancing with considerable suppleness, if not
grace. The majority of them are supplied by the nomad

164 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Susmani tribe, which might be called the "gipsies of
Persia." As soon as their daughters and sons are able
to walk they are taught the first steps of dancing. Then
their vertebral column is made supple by making them
bend their heads backwards till they touch the ground —
this acrobatic movement is highly appreciated in the
dance — next they learn how to walk on their hands ; to
turn somersaults; to balance on their upturned palms
and on their foreheads glasses, daggers, or peacocks'
feathers. Besides the rhythmic steps, which have little
variety, and the acrobatic feats, the interest of the dance
is heightened by pantomimic scenes, always immodest,
and sometimes obscene.
It is the languishing movement of the inamorata
waiting for the beloved. He comes joyfully. To pro
voke him she flies away. He pursues and captures her
with a long gauze scarf. After a thousand evolutions
with the scarf she is a captive and his slave. She will
offer him her heart in the shape of the rose which adorned
her bosom. She will pluck the petals from her heart
and rain them on the beloved's moon-shaped face, while
he, in elaborate' contortions, will show his agility and
strength. Then she will hand him the cup while the
bottle of wine is balanced on her forehead. But jealousy
intervenes to blacken the looks of the beloved, who,
brandishing a dagger in each hand, menaces her with
a thousand deaths. She soothes him with voluptuous
caresses, and they prove their mutual love to each other.
. . . The music waxes fast and furious ; it grows quicker

The Celebrated Dancers of the Susmani Tribe.

THE SHAH'S HAREM 165
and quicker. The dancers rise, and begin spinning
wildly round and round, until, breathless, foaming, ex
hausted, they sink to the ground, where they writhe,
gasp, and swoon.
The rhythm of the music is marked with the cracking
of the fingers or by the slapping of tiny cymbals attached
to the thumb and second finger.
The costumes do not differ much from the ordinary
indoor dress of the Persian woman — only by the addition
of straight trousers below their skirts for some, and long
skirts like crinolines for the others. Their hair falls in
wavy curls down their shoulders.
One of the a la mode dances is the Franghi dance,
in which the European gait is imitated and ridiculed.
The costumes used for this are more or less European.
Another very characteristic dance, recalling those which
we see in Turkey, is performed with the feet and legs
quite still, and with undulations and quiverings of the
muscles of the stomach, breast, and arms.
Of course the dancers are considered of an inferior
rank ; but this does not prevent them from cherishing
the ambition of improving their position. They never
forget that one of them became the favourite wife of
Feth Ali Shah. Their career has only a short run, for
seventeen or eighteen is the age limit
The Shah has similarly a troupe of dancing boys who
pass through the enderoun to the biroun, and they may
be seen on the official occasions where their presence is
ordered, for instance at races. They look so much like

166 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
their feminine colleagues, since they wear the same
coiffure and the same costume, that they could easily be
mistaken. The troupe includes a buffoon of one or the other
sex, whose business it is to parody the mimicry of the
dancers. Sometimes he disguises himself as Sultan of
Roum — that is, Turkey — by painting a face on his
stomach, concealing the upper part of his body in an
enormous turban, and adding false arms. To give
different expressions to the face, he stretches or contracts
the skin of his stomach with his hands. The delusion
is so perfect that one does not realise at first how it is
effected. The wives of the Shah receive many visits.
The Favourites, who each have a separate establish
ment in their own part of the enderoun, hold regular
levies, to which crowd the wives of the men who are
thronging the Court of the Shah, on the other side of the
wall, in the biroun. They have also their At Homes, to
which on some rare occasions they invite the European
women of distinction residing in Teheran. The Shah in
this case comes to the party and distributes to the Western
guests costly souvenirs. At other times they go and pay
calls on princesses or wives of grandees, where they
remain for dinner and the evening. The hostess displays
for the occasion the greatest luxury in decorations and
delicacies. When they go out, not only are they muffled up like
other women, but the carriages in which they drive —

THE SHAH'S HAREM 167
huge closed landaus upholstered in canary-coloured silk
— are surrounded by eunuchs on horseback. In front
gallop jelowdars — outriders in scarlet laced with gold,
holding silver maces, who shout, " Be blind ! " Armed
with whips, the eunuchs force the bystanders to fly into
the side streets, or to stand with their faces to the wall or
against a tree, or to lie with their faces to the ground,
in order not to profane with their gaze the phantom
silhouettes of the Royal wives. Behind the carriage ride
men-servants, some carrying the silver samovars and
kalyans, and all the articles needed for tea, wrapped
up in precious cashmere shawls ; others holding in
front of them the pet animals — gazelles or guepards.
Then comes the military escort, composed of Kurdish
irregulars, wild and ferocious-looking in their picturesque
national dress.
The populace does not object to this treatment It
is, after all, flattered every time it is reminded of the
splendour and state which surrounds everything con
nected with its magnificent sovereign.
One might almost classify among amusements the
pilgrimages of Imperial wives. They would enjoy mak
ing them oftener, for the novelty introduced into the
monotony of their lives no less than for the favours they
have to ask of the saints. But they very rarely give
themselves the satisfaction, for it is not prudent for them
to go far from the "Centre of the Universe" — their
master. Their rivals would take advantage of their
absence to work against them, so they must content

168 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
themselves with pilgrimages in the vicinity — the mosque-
tomb of Shah-Abdoul-Azim, where Nasr-ed-din was
assassinated, which is only a few miles from Teheran, is
one of their favourite shrines.
Only the veterans can allow themselves the long
absence of a distant pilgrimage ; Koum or Meshed are
therefore chosen. Koum is the true feminine pilgrim
age, for there is the tomb of the thrice holy Fatima-
el-Masuma, the Immaculate, sister of Imam Reza, Pro
tector of Persia, whose tomb is in Meshed. The legend
says that he comes every Friday to see his sister in
Koum. This Meshed, the principal town of the N.E. province
of Khorassan, is not to be confused with Meshed- Houssein,
or Kerbela, which is for the Persians, and all the Shiites,
very holy and a pilgrimage place. It was there that
Imam Houssein met his martyrdom on the ioth of
Moharrem in the year 61 of the Hegira (i.e. October
680 a.d.) It is on Turkish territory, about fifty miles to
the south-west of Baghdad, and not far from the ruins
of Babylon, and near the right bank of the Euphrates.
There are to be found the tomb of Houssein and the
mosque of Hassan. At Kerbela, as well as at the
neighbouring shrine of Nejef or Meshed-Ali, the faithful
who live there are secure from going to hell. Many
Shiites, amongst them the late Shah, leave it in their
wills that they should be buried there. Corpses are con
sequently brought there from Persia and all the Shiite
world — even from Bombay. Kerbela has therefore

The famous pilgrimage shrine of Meshed.

THE SHAH'S HAREM 169
become a vast Necropolis of the Faithful with a very
bad name for salubrity.
Owing to the insanitary condition of the corpses
brought, all sorts of epidemics are apt to arise there,
chief among them the dreaded plague.
The cemetery is in the centre of the town. Even
the houses are used as tombs, and the earth which
is dug up is sold in little cakes to the pilgrims for them
to place on the ground and rest their heads against
whilst praying after their return. The principal industry
of the inhabitants is the interring of the corpses brought
to rest in the holy earth.
Meshed entails a very long journey from Teheran,
and the Shah sometimes takes some of his wives with
him on this pilgrimage. When he does, he has to take
with him an immense train of baggage animals.
If Mohammed Ali — that is the name of the new
Shah — had the wealth of Haroun-ar-Rashid, his
wives would imitate Zobeida, who, when she went to
Mecca, had miles of carpets spread on the way in
order that the white dromedary on which she rode
should not soil his feet with the dust of the road.
Long files of camels bore presents destined for the
shrine, and files still longer bore precious coffers con
taining the thousand and one robes of that princess
of the " Thousand and One Nights."
The actual state of the Persian finances is far from
admitting of such sumptuousness — even in a dream.
However, the suite and the escort who accompany a

170 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Persian princess on these occasions are comparable to
that of Queen Elizabeth on her visit to Kenilworth.
The enderoun removes with the Shah.
Muzaffer-ed-din, less nomad than his father, who
spent months in hunting and shooting in the forest
provinces of the north, did not leave home except to
go to his summer palaces, gardens, or hunting pavilions
situated in the proximity of Teheran. You did not
meet any more those interminable strings of old chaises,
Takhteravan, and horses ridden by women sitting astride.
You did not find two or three hundred women following
His Majesty as in the old days ; he took but few wives,
though they had a numerous suite of servants and
slaves. When he went to Europe they used to accompany
him to the frontier.
The Shah's enderouns are not confined to Teheran.
Among the most notable of those in the country is
Niavaran, newly built, which is provided with modern
conveniences mixed with the more picturesque discomfort
of the good old times, and lit with electric light.
One of the best enderouns is that of Sahab-Kranieh.
Here there are a couple of score of little dwellings of
three or four rooms apiece, each with a verandah in
front, scattered over a splendid park with centenarian
planes. That of Echretabad is more curious. It consists
of very small, low houses exactly alike, three or four
feet apart, built round a circular lake and surrounded

THE SHAH'S HAREM 171
by a ring of poplar trees. It has the severe and
mysterious aspect of a cloister, dwarfed by a huge
tower of three storeys glittering with the reflection of
multi-coloured tiles — the Khabgah or Palace of Sleep
of the "Asylum of the Universe."
Such are the establishments of the harem of the
Shah-in-Shah. The light of the Occident has hardly
penetrated its veils. Here we have in this twentieth
century the enchantments of Schehrezade continued in
a framework of luxury, charm, and mystery ; but
dwelling therein is a new sovereign, who has proscribed
the red intoxication of blood.

CHAPTER XVIII

THE SHAH IN HIS PALACE

In the Meidan - i - Toupkhaneh, the great square of
Teheran, at the first glimmer of dawn, horsemen, hold
ing long staves with silver handles, were making a
way through the crowd for the Royal cortege coming
back from one of the Shah's hunting pavilions.
First came the ferrashes, carrying whips, and the
Skaters, or runners, in velvet helmets plumed with
peacocks' feathers ; then came the Nasakdji Bashi, or
chief executioner, dressed in blood-red, and the fellekeh
of the bastinadoes, drawn by richly caparisoned mules.
All this medley of gay colours, all this pomp of
functionaries and soldiers, was surrounding a chariot
too strange for the magnificent sovereigns of Iran
even to have dreamt of it — the motor car of Muzaffer-
ed-din Shah, of the Kadjar tribe.
That strange retinue, in which the antique and the
barbaric was the prelude to that ultra-modern note,
disappeared into the palace, or rather conglomeration of
palaces called the Ark, a kind of royal city surrounded
by walls, which formerly had the additional protection of
a moat.

172

THE SHAH IN HIS PALACE 173
The palace so called constitutes a part of the Ark.
Like every Persian house, it is divided in two parts :
the biroun, or men's dwelling; and the enderoun, or
harem. The Royal biroun consists of a mass of hetero
geneous buildings surrounding the Gulistan, or rose
garden, a perfumed oasis where huge fountains spread
sheets of rippling coolness ; where clear streams in
channels of pale turquoise blue tiles glide between
green lawns gay with peacocks, swans, and doves ;
where, behind masses of rare plants and flowers, rise
groves of dark cypresses, pines, planes, and willows.
On the east side of the Gulistan stands the Shems-
el-Emaret, or Sun of the Palaces, with its two square
many-storeyed towers covered by blue tiles with yellow
arabesques. From these towers, in which they are
concealed behind majolica mousharabiehs, the women
of the harem, always very inquisitive persons, watch
the comings and goings of the Gulistan and the crowded
and animated entrance to the bazars. At the foot
of the towers, in an open gallery, are the Gobelins
tapestry representing the Coronation of the Faun and
the Triumph of Venus, given by King Louis-Phillipe
to Mohammed Shah.
In the north part of the Museum, a huge chamber
of unimaginable richness, the ground is covered with
the rarest carpets, masterpieces of the ancient Persian
art. There too is to be found the celebrated Peacock
Throne, taken from the Grand Mogul in the days of

174 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
yore by the victorious Nadir Shah. This throne is
a dazzling marvel; it is covered with sheets of gold
on which precious enamels, fantastic birds, and chimeras
set with rubies, emeralds, sapphires, and turquoises
shine, culminating in the supreme radiation of a
diamond sun. It is said to be worth six million
pounds. A few chairs and tables of the same precious
materials — gold, enamels, and precious stones — are still
to be seen, but the greatest part of them have un
happily been sent to the Mint It is in this room
that the Shah holds his diplomatic receptions.
Then comes the Room of Diamonds, Otag-i-Almas,
which has its walls entirely covered with mirrors and
looking-glass cut and set in the shape of diamonds
rising in stalagmites, and falling again from the ceiling
in scintillating stalactites.
In the Library, which comes next, in fragrant cedar
cupboards, are to be found by the thousand precious
ancient manuscripts adorned with invaluable miniatures.
One of the other rooms is called the Otag-i-Adjah,
or the Room of Hunger, to characterise the "avidity"
with which this room fills itself with treasures.
At the end of the Palace is the Orangery, and close
to it the Porte des Voluptds, which can only be crossed
by the Shah and the eunuchs, for it leads to the sacred
harem. On the south is the Emaret-i-Badghir, or Palace of
the Ventilators, whose square turrets contain the engines

THE SHAH IN HIS PALACE 175
which generate the air and distribute it to the interior.
Round it are several buildings containing aviaries full
of singing birds and cages with golden bars full of rare
animals. At the west stands a little palace in the Louis xvi.
style, of which the Shah is particularly fond. It contains
his private apartments ; his picture gallery flashing with
the splendour of a marvellous collection of old arms ;
and a drawing-room whose rich furniture was presented
by the Sultan of Turkey. In this drawing-room,
standing upon a table and protected by a glass shade, is
the famous terrestrial globe in a solid gold frame en
crusted with diamonds. The geographical divisions of
the sphere are marked by precious stones of various
colours : Persia by turquoises, the national stone ; the
town of Teheran by a big diamond taken from the
corpse of Ashraf, King of Afghanistan ; and Mound
Demavend by a ruby extracted from Shah-Rouck by
Agha Mohammed Shah's torturers ; the seas are made
of emeralds ; India of amethysts ; Africa of rubies ;
England and France of diamonds ; and so on. This
work cost one million tomans, or ^"200,000.
Leaving the Shah's apartments, one crosses a gallery
leading to a circular court surrounded by the Vezaret-
Omour-Kharedjeh, or Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with
a succession of windows in wood, curiously carved. A
grill of delicate work divides it from a great garden
shaded by plane trees.
In the centre of this garden is a long basin with

176 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
playing fountains. The palace fronting it has a huge
recess in its facade. This is the Talar, or Throne Hall ;
it is entirely open except for two alabaster columns
supporting the entablature. These were brought from
Persepolis in some miraculous way ; for there is no road,
and their size is enormous : they are spiral and very
lofty. The Talar is adorned with the portraits of the
earlier Shahs of the dynasty ; its walls are encrusted
with facets of mirrors cut like diamonds. At the bottom
of the chamber is a dark arcade dimly lit with stained
glass panes whose coloured lights are reflected in a
fountain. In front of the Talar is the throne — a plat
form of transparent white marble about eight feet by five
— carved and gilt. It is supported in the middle by
short columns resting on the backs of lions, and at
each side by djinns or divs in feminine costume. The
marble back, which is carried round the sides in a sort
of balustrade, is of tracery as delicate as lace. It is
called Takht-i-Marmar — Marble Throne.
In front of the Talar round the fountain that
morning (it was the New Year, or No-Rouz) dignitaries
came and went, with their kolahs, turbaned in white
shawls with designs of red and green running through
them. They were dressed in simple tunics flowing
down to their feet, made of the finest cashmere glitter
ing with diamond breast-clasps.
Suddenly on this crowd, motley, moving, jabbering,
fell a respectful silence. Heads bowed, attitudes became
humble and suppliant. The King-of- Kings entered.

THE SHAH IN HIS PALACE 177
He slowly crossed the gardens, ascended the steps of
the throne, upon which he seated himself in the Oriental
way, on a carpet of pearls and pearl - embroidered
cushions. His black, full-skirted frock-coat, buttoned to
the throat, was lost in the blaze of precious stones. The
diamond aigrette, the emblem of power, spread a fan
of fire over a melancholy and gentle visage. With a
rhythmic, unconscious gesture, he caressed his moustache
and gazed round with tired, mysterious, distant eyes,
which looked, but did not see, whilst his favourite poet
recited, accentuating and hammering out each syllable,
the glories of the tribe of Kajar. Every time the
sublime name of Mouzaffer-ed-din was pronounced, the
crowd bowed.
In front of the Shah were ranged up amongst the
dignitaries of State such of the tribesmen of Kajar as
were in Teheran.
The members of the Ministry of Ceremonies, at the
head of whom was the Minister, with his long gold
mace glowing with emeralds and encrusted with other
precious stones, advanced four steps and bowed, then
took four steps back and bowed, while the poetry was
going on.
From the lips of the Shah a few words fell, always
benevolent, such as : " The weather is favourable to
the crops. A little rain would perhaps be useful. The
fulness of the harvest makes the happiness of the
people. Functionaries must make the law respected,
and set the example of disinterestedness, impartiality,

178 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
and equity. Justice is the basis of society and the pillar
of the Empire. Let us thank the Prophet and Ali for
the blessings that they pour with bountiful hands upon
Iran. Let us pray them to continue these blessings in
the future."
Then all the people present cried " Glory to God, to
the Prophet, to Ali ! Glory, Grace, and Happiness to the
King-of-Kings ! "
Then His Majesty was presented with a cup of
coffee and a gold kalyan coruscating with gems — a
kalyan without fire in which enormous rubies took the
place of embers.
Meanwhile the troops filed past with a brutal thunder
clap of clashing military bands.

CHAPTER XIX
COURT RECEPTIONS OF THE DIPLOMATIC BODY
Servants dressed in the red Persian liveries laced with
faded gold, carrying long silver maces, are sent to the
various Legations to escort the diplomats to the Court.
They walk on each side of the carriages : the carriages
are thus obliged to proceed at a walking pace. When
they reach the gate of the palace, drums and trumpets
crash out a salute, and the diplomats cross the gardens
and enter a sort of waiting-room to attend the Shah's
pleasure. It is an appointment, but the Shah never
observes it, because it is necessary to his importance
to keep people waiting. The Master of Ceremonies,
dressed in a long cashmere robe with puffed sleeves,
adorned with large oval clasps embossed with precious
stones and hanging chains of pearls, comes to say that
His Majesty is ready to receive, and, accompanied by
the members of the Ministry of the Ceremonies, escorts
the members of the Diplomatic Corps to the Hall of
Reception. This is the hall called the Museum in the
previous chapter.
The Minister of each Legation walks in front, followed
by his secretaries in order. At the right is the Embassy
179

180 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
of Turkey, then the European Diplomatic Corps in the
order of their Ministers' seniority. They keep their
hats on and also their boots, which is an extraordinary
thing in Persia, where everybody must dis-boot in the
presence of the Shah. This has been a matter of much
diplomatic discussion, and formed one of the articles
of the Turkmanchay treaty. Up to that date the
European diplomats were obliged to put red stockings
over their boots and trousers.
The Museum is a very long room, and the Legations
stand at one end, each in single file behind its Minister.
At the other end, where the Peacock Throne stands,
the Master of Ceremonies shouts an announcement in
a very loud and pompous tone ; and the Shah suddenly
appears with the Grand Vizier and two or three other
viziers, and remains standing in front of the throne.
This has been another subject of diplomatic arrange
ment. It was settled that as the diplomats could not
sit in the presence of the Shah, the Shah should not
sit in their presence.
The diplomats advance a certain distance and make
a profound bow with the hand at the salute ; then they
make a second advance and a second bow, and a third
when they come nearer His Majesty; then they pause
The Master of Ceremonies introduces them to the
Shah one after the other seriatim, and they bow to
His Majesty haloed by the rays of the Peacock's
Throne. This throne has been the subject of several attempted

RECEPTIONS OF DIPLOMATIC BODY 181
robberies. It is said that there was once a parrot on
the top of it made of a single emerald, which has been
stolen. Lately, when the Shah came back from his
travels in Europe, he noticed some scraps of gold on
the carpet, which led him to the discovery that some
stones had been stolen from it. He was furious, and
when, a few days afterwards, the culprit was discovered
in the person of a young boy of fourteen who had lately
been engaged to sweep the palace, he was put to the
torture to make him disclose where he had concealed
the stones. He at once declared that he had buried
them at the foot of a tree in the Rose Garden. The
Shah ordered him to be executed instantly, and his
body remained exposed for a few days at the gate of
city, close to the execution ground.
The Shah dresses in a black Persian frock-coat with
gathered skirts, which is thickly studded with diamonds ;
he has diamond epaulettes, and a scimitar with a diamond
scabbard ; and on the tall lambskin cap called the kolah
there is an aigrette or jika with an enormous oblong
diamond, weighing one hundred and eighty-six carats,
called the Daria-i-Noor — the Sea of Light. The effect
of it is spoiled by bad cutting. His dress varies with the
importance of the occasion. The diamond costume is
reserved for the most important ; the pearl costume is
frogged with ropes of pearl : a great English jeweller
expressed on one occasion his willingness to buy the
Shah as he stood in this dress for four millions. There
are also ruby, turquoise, and emerald costumes, but the

182 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
base is always the black frock-coat : it is the epaulettes,
buttons, and so on that are varied.
Muzaffer-ed-din Shah was nervous in the presence
of Europeans ; he used to stand with one hand on his
scimitar and stroke his enormous moustache with the
other in order to maintain his composure. As has been
said, he used to utter some platitudes such as : " Thank
God we have had a fortunate year. Rain has been
plentiful, and we hope that God will make the harvest
abundant." If he was in a genial mood he inquired after
the respective sovereigns. "What are they all doing?
Has the King of England won the yachting race ? Has
the Kaiser killed many deer? Was the Sultan of
Turkey pleased with the two girls I sent him lately ?
How is the Czar?" To which the Russian Minister
replies with forced politeness, " How can he be anything
else but well since he is noticed by your Majesty ? "
He addressed a few words like that to each Minister,
and then said, " You are dismissed." All the diplomats
backed out bowing three times as at their entry, a
perilous performance in a Persian room full of little
carpets. More than one old diplomat has measured his
length on these little carpets.
Of course on these occasions the Shah was crippled
by the fear of causing jealousy ; he was more practical
when he received a single ambassador. He always
spoke in Persian, which was translated by the Foreign
Office interpreters into French.
Muzaffer-ed-din was a good man ; his Court was

Imperial Jika. set in the largest emerald in the world, and
diamond ornaments.

[Photo by Prince Abd-i>u..d-': Mirza.

RECEPTIONS OF DIPLOMATIC BODY 183
paved with good intentions which he had not sufficient
energy to carry out. Unlike his ancestors, he hated blood
shed, and while he was on the throne instances of capital
punishment were rare. Though he was a great sportsman,
a fine shot who could hit with a rifle a coin thrown up in
the air, he was as humane to animals as he was to human
beings, as was shown at the sacrifice of the camel.
On the day of Kourban Beiram, when every Mussul
man has to make a sacrifice in memory of the Sacrifice
of Abraham, the Shah is supposed to immolate a camel,
whilst his subjects content themselves with sheep or
fowls. But Muzaffer-ed-din did not like doing it him
self, and relinquished the Royal privilege to a man who
for the occasion dressed himself as if he was the Shah —
a sort of Rex Sacrificulus. He rode on horseback with
a suite, and the crowd made a close escort for him and
the camel, who walked with his usual supercilious
indifference. The camel had to be gorgeously
caparisoned : the man who simulated the Shah had a
lance, and when the procession arrived at a certain
point, the square in front of the Nagaristan Palace, he
drove the spear into the throat of the camel, which had
been despoiled of its ornaments, and the crowd, rushing
upon the poor animal, began cutting it to pieces before it
was dead. A piece streaming with blood was put on
the top of a lance and carried in triumph by the simulator
of the Shah, who went to the palace to take it to the
real Shah.
Muzaffer-ed-din was very fond of music. He

184 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
detested thunder: whenever it thundered, he used to
take refuge in a vault where the noise was drowned,
and had a Mollah, especially appointed for the purpose,
to calm his misgivings.
He was also very fond of novelties. He was much
interested, for example, in photography. He instituted
a Photographer of State, who received ^2000 a year, and
was expected to buy every new patent that came out.
Muzaffer-ed-din was photographed every half-hour — if he
saw a European with a camera in the street he used to stop
to let him take his photograph. Every kind of machinery,
from the most important inventions to penny toys,
interested him. It was characteristic of him to pay no
more attention to Marconi's discovery than to a shilling
automatic toy.
Not long ago, among the new things from Europe
were little canoes in rubber which were blown out and
took the shape of a boat, and were designed to support
several people. The Shah was very interested : they
were tried on the lake of the palace. Four fat nobles
were embarked in one, whose valve was partly opened,
and the boat was pushed from land.
It slowly sank till its occupants were left floundering
in the water. The Shah enjoyed himself vastly,
especially when they were brought out looking as
drenched as seals.
The poor men, though they got rheumatism, were
delighted to have made the Shah laugh. They received
pensions on the spot.

Reception of an Ambassador by the Shah of Persia. From an ancient painting.

CHAPTER XX
THE TRAVELS OF THE SHAH
Muzaffer-ed-din craved for the dissipations of European
capitals ; but the state of his finances had deprived
him of this solace, until the conclusion of the loan with
Russia, which so nearly jeopardised Persian independence,
gave him a command of ready cash. The departure
of a Shah for a long journey is a terrible business ;
everything is paralysed.
The Shah's departure was fixed for the nth
of April, but he postponed it, and he was to leave
Teheran on the next day only if he did not change
his mind in the interval, since there had been an
earthquake on the day before, which, without having
caused any fatalities, had nevertheless frightened His
Majesty, who considered it a bad omen.
If he had listened to the astrologers, he would very
likely not have gone at all. On the morning of the
nth, at 10 a.m., the Axis of the Universe received the
Diplomatic Body in his palace to make his adieux.
This audience was depressing. The Shah looked *
tired and ill ; the Grand Vizier had to help him to make
a little speech to the Foreign Ministers. In this he bade
185

186 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
farewell and announced that he had placed the regency
in the hands of his son, Shoa-es-Saltaneh. In going out
most of the Ministers asked themselves if His Majesty
would be able to bear the fatigues of the journey.
The Grand Vizier in his visit of farewell to the
Legations did not conceal that he was uncertain if his
august master would be in a condition to accomplish his
projected tour in the different Courts of Europe after
having finished his cure at Contrexeville.
"We shall go certainly," said he, "to visit the
Paris Exhibition, but for the rest — that will depend on
His Majesty's health." It is certain that the life of the
Shah could not stand a shock.
In spite of the astrologers and of the bad omens,
the Shah left on the 12th. Early in the morning
we got on horseback, and as nobody knew at what
o'clock the Shah would leave the palace, we ran
through the streets that he was going to follow, in
order not to miss him.
This was, however, full of interest. From the palace
to the gate of the town the streets were crowded with
people, especially the dark phantoms of women. An
extraordinary display of police in the streets and up
on the roofs of the houses seemed to indicate that
the prince did not feel very sure of the sentiments of
the people towards him. The fact is that there were
many malcontents, and it was not difficult to guess
why ; for it was not fair that in the state of poverty to
which Persia has been reduced, its sovereign should go

THE TRAVELS OF THE SHAH 187
to Europe to spend on his personal pleasures a great
part of the money borrowed from Russia.
All along the road, which was barren and stony,
lines had been drawn with stones, ranged with a certain
eye to decoration, in order to facilitate the alignment of
the troops, more or less well-exercised, who were to pay
the honours to the Shah.
After having traversed the white road, through the
multi-coloured and picturesque crowd, and seen the troops
take up their positions, I came back with K. K. to the
town to meet His Majesty, while the French Minister and
his friends posted themselves on the rising ground near
the camp waiting for the arrival of the Shahin-Shah.
He and they had to wait a long time. It was only at
half-past eleven that the Shah passed the gate of the
town called the Aspdovane (horse race), in a heavy
caleche drawn by eight horses with postilions at a
walking pace.
Just as the Shah eats always alone, it is also only
alone that he can drive. He suffers from the same
disabilities as the Pope.
At the door of the carriage on the right side rode
the Grand Vizier, Shoa-es-Saltaneh, and a few other
grandees. On the left, the Sepeh-Salar, Kajar Prince,
Minister of War. The troops were drawn up only on
this side of the road. In front, at the back, and on the
right side of the Imperial carriage were cavalry in
brilliant uniforms, some wearing the dress of our French
cuirassiers.

188 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
As the cortege advanced, the soldiers presented arms
and shouted hurrahs without enthusiasm, and the bands
played the National Anthem. None of it seemed to
interest His Majesty much ; he was talking at the time
to the Grand Vizier and Shoa-es-Saltaneh, with his
back turned to the troops.
When he got to the camp of Darecht, the Shah sat
down under a tent, richly furnished and draped with
precious stuffs that the Sepeh Salar had put up for the
purpose near a broad stream. There were beautiful
carpets, a table spread with fruits and sweetmeats, and
one arm-chair — one only, for no one can sit in the
presence of the Shah. Orange trees and oleanders, and
a thousand other pots of flowers, ranged along the bank
of the river, gave a gay aspect and concealed the barren
ness of the landscape.
With the assurance characteristic of Europeans in
the East, we passed the sentinels, who dared not say
anything to Franghees of our importance, and we went
to the right edge of the stream in front of the tent.
His Majesty having noticed us, grouped all his suite
round him, and we took a photograph.
The Shah said that if the photograph turned out
well, he would like to have one sent to him. But,
unfortunately, on our way back an accident happened
to the plates.
With a very low court bow, we retired backwards
as we were accustomed to do at the palace.
After taking a few moments of rest, and drinking a

THE TRAVELS OF THE SHAH 189
sherbet, the Shah mounted his carriage and started for
the encampment of Ken. The cannon were booming
all the time.
As soon as the Shah went off surrounded by a strong
escort, the immense crowd which was going to accom
pany him to the frontier — soldiers, courtiers, and re
tainers, several thousands of them — swarmed after him.
It is a plague for the country which is traversed.
The governors of towns offer large sums of money
for the Shah to take another route. The Shah accepts
the money and goes or not as he chooses. Locusts
could do no more. His horses eat all the crops in the
fields, and his men steal everything, or openly take it
by force. The regular suite taken by the Shah numbered two
thousand persons, in spite of the efforts of the Grand
Vizier to reduce as much as possible the Royal camp.
The retinue of these people and the camp followers
made it up to four or five thousand. In order to furnish
the means of transport for all these persons, it was
necessary to procure eight thousand baggage animals,
which was not the least difficult problem to solve.
This is why the Shah was obliged to halt four days
at the first stage, at the village of Ken, to wait till
everything was ready. The Saheb-Jam, Minister of
Transports, who had charge of all camels, mules, and
donkeys of the Government, was Asef-es-Saltaneh, the
son-in-law of the Shah. That did not prevent his
receiving the bastinado on that occasion, as he was

190 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
made responsible, though it was not his fault, for that
delay. Outside the towns no means of subsistence could be
obtained. Everything had to be taken with them—
the food for the beast as well as the food for the
man. The journey to Tabriz cost several million
francs — it is said four millions — which could have been
partly economised if it had been possible to overcome
the Shah's aversion to the voyage on the Caspian
Sea, and take the route by Resht and Baku. But His
Majesty had a terrible fear of the sea, all the more
terrible because he had never set foot on board ship,
and very likely never seen the sea, otherwise than in
pictures. It had, therefore, been impossible to con
template the Caspian Sea route, which is at once the
shortest and the least expensive.
We wondered what would His Majesty do when he
came to go over to England ?

Tomb of Bajazet I., Sultan of Turkey, built by Shah Khodabendeh,
near Shahroud.

CHAPTER XXI
GOVERNMENT and justice
" The vice approved by the king becomes a virtue : to
seek counsel opposed to him is to imbrue one's hands
in one's own blood." — Sa'di.
Theoretically, the Shah is absolute master of the
kingdom, and may do what he chooses. He nominates
at his pleasure the ministers, governors, functionaries ;
and takes their offices away from them, and can just
as easily confiscate their goods.
Theoretically, also, all his subjects are his slaves.
He has the power of life or death over them.
Theoretically, all the land belongs to him, with the
exception of the religious demesnes.
I say theoretically, for practice introduces certain
modifications. For example, a prince, a minister, a
governor, the head of a tribe, etc., may acquire enough
power to defy the Shah — not to mention the eternal
subject of the power of the Church.
For example, under Nasr-er-din Shah, one of his
own sons, Zil-es-Sultan, who is still Governor of
Ispahan, established an independent principality in the
south of Persia. He had an army more powerful
191

192 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
than that of his father; the soldiers were better
equipped, were drilled by officers, natives of India,
trained in the armies of England. He had good guns,
and governed with a strong hand.
After the visit to Ispahan of one of the Foreign
Ministers, everything was changed. For that Minister
reported to the Shah what he had seen, and His
Majesty was frightened. It was no use confronting
him with his army, so he resorted to persuasion. He
invited his son to visit him at Teheran. But it was
a long time before he could persuade him to accept the
invitation, the suspicions of Zil-es-Sultan being aroused
by this sudden ebullition of paternal sentiment.
But at last he had to come. As soon as he was
in Teheran, he understood that his suspicions were
well founded, for he was more like a hostage in his
palace than a son paying a visit to his father. He
was well guarded to prevent any attempt at flight to
the seat of his power, and during his stay in the
capital, which was of long duration, all his army was
disorganised and distributed over the most distant
provinces : his guns were brought to Teheran. And
when all the necessary precautions had been taken,
the Shah presented him with a khalat, or robe of
honour, and allowed him to return to his Government.
He remained Governor of Ispahan during the whole
of the reign of his brother, Muzaffer-ed-din, and the
new Shah, Mohammed Ali, has confirmed him in that
position.

GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE 193
He consoles himself for the loss of his ambitions
by making a collection of hats. Every European
traveller who passes through Ispahan is shown that
collection, and if the traveller is wearing a hat of a
shape which is not represented in the collection, the
prince asks for it, and makes a nice present in return.
With his harmless lunacy he combines Oriental
severities. As I write these words, the population of
Ispahan is in revolt against his heavy hand. A
thousand of them are refugees in the gardens of the
British Consulate, as there were ten thousand in the
gardens of the British Legation at Teheran a few
months ago. One has to consider contingencies in
taking a house in Persia.
The example of Amin-es- Sultan, the greatest states
man of modern Persia, who, after three years' exile in
Europe, has just been recalled by the new Shah to
take over the reins of government, is a proof of how
a Minister also may modify the absolute power of the
Shah. Amin-es- Sultan had rendered himself so indis
pensable, and had such a powerful backing (he had
placed all the chief offices of the Government in the
hands of his creatures), that for a time he was the
virtual sovereign of Persia.
Such an example may also be found among the
governors of the provinces. These governors recall
in many ways the satraps of ancient Persia. The
Shah nominates them, generally according to the sum
13

194 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
of money they can offer him for the post. When he
is in want of money, he does not hesitate to accept
the sum offered him by the first comer, in exchange
for a nomination to the governorship of a province.
But often the existing holder sends him a greater
present or a larger sum of money in order to be
retained in his position. The Shah keeps both.
However, sometimes a governor succeeds in acquiring
so strong a position that the Shah sees himself obliged
to let him alone.
Amir Nizam was an example of this, and the Shah
had to reckon with him a plus forte raison the Crown
Prince. When he was Governor of Azerbeijan, acting
for the Crown Prince, who held the title, and was in
residence in that province, he showed his power by
defeating the wishes of the Shah's son.
Amir Nizam attached great importance to getting
rid of a certain criminal, who merited exemplary
chastisement, and who several times, at the head of
a few desperadoes of his tribe, had caused grave
troubles in the savage and mountainous districts of
the Karadagh.
Mahmoud Beg and his men were notorious highway
men : they had been pillaging Christian villages, whose
priest they had assassinated. The priest belonged to
an old family well known among the Christians of the
Azerbeijan, and had left a moderate fortune to his
heirs, which gave them the means of making friends in
the entourage of the Amir.

GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE 195
They did their work so effectively, spurred by the
idea of vengeance so characteristic of Orientals, that
they obtained a sentence of death against the culprit.
In Persia justice is often magnanimous to the
Mussulman who has assassinated a Christian. But
these murders were becoming too frequent. Mahmoud
Beg was too notorious, and, on the other side, the
money of the dead priest, spread liberally, and perhaps
other considerations also, determined the Governor of
Azerbeijan to make an example. He decided, there
fore, that the brigand should be fastened to the mouth
of a gun and "blown," as the Persians say in their
picturesque way.
The sentence was presented to the Vali-Ahd (the
Crown Prince), who at that time was courting popu
larity by playing the role of the merciful and mag
nanimous prince in opposition to the sanguinary and
inexorable Amir.
The Vali-Ahd observed that though he did not dis
approve of the energetic measures of the governor,
and in spite of the horrible nature of the crime, that
it would be well to show mercy, for the motives of
his crime might have been more excusable than the
Amir had thought A courtier present, who, like
the majority of the entourage of the Vali-Ahd, hated
the Amir for his power and the scant attention he
paid to them, kept on saying, "And he is a good
Mussulman." The Vali-Ahd insisted that it was wrong for the blood

196 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
of an infidel to be ransomed with the blood of a
true believer. What would the people, and above all
the Mollahs, think ?
The courtiers raised a chorus of approval of the
mercifulness of their master.
Upon that the Amir made his salaam and withdrew
without offering a word, but did not change the order
to the executioner.
That day he did not go out of his palace, and was
walking nervously in his garden with his Italian doctor,
who knew nothing of what was going on. He looked
at his watch very often, when suddenly the report of
a gun was heard. He breathed a sigh of relief, and
at the same moment something fell beside them.
Amir Nizam went and poked it with his stick to find
out what it was. It was the heart, still moving, of
the chief who had been blown from the mouth of
a gun. This was common talk in Tabriz, where it
happened. This strong action on the part of Amir Nizam
against the Crown Prince's wishes so thunderstruck
the latter that he dared not say anything.
The chiefs of the tribes may also defy the authority
of the Shah when they feel themselves strong enough
and are far enough away.
They act in the most practical way : they refuse to
pay the taxes till the Shah sends troops ; and some
times they defeat these troops, and stripping them of

GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE 197
their rifles and clothes, send them back to the Shah
full of shame.
The Shadow of Allah, the Sublime Sovereign whose
standard is the Sun, and his Splendour that of the
Firmament, is not like the Sultan of Turkey, the re
ligious chief of his country. The power of the clergy
often brings him to his knees.
But there is one point in which his authority is
never disputed — in the distribution of titles. He sells
them generally, but sometimes gives them in recompense
for services. The title of Khan is already ordinary, and is be
coming more and more so. Everybody who has done
the Government any kind of a service receives it, or
takes it without it being offered.
That of Sultan, unique amongst the Sunnites, is
given, to annoy them, to simple captains in Persia.
Grandees obtain titles for their sons when they are
quite young ; the titles are changed later according to
the importance of the person.
Every rich Persian buys a title, even if he is a
tradesman ; for example, Malik-i-toujar, which means
Prince of the Merchants.
Titles are not hereditary in Persia, but princes of
the Imperial Family have a title from their birth, such
as Light of the Empire or Shadow of the King.
The Persians have no standard titles, such as duke,
marquis, earl, or count, viscount, and baron. They
have special titles created for them. Typical civilian

198 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
titles are : Eye of the Kingdom, Sun of the State,
Key of the Empire, Column of the Empire ; and
typical military titles are : Saviour of the Empire,
Glory of the State.
The Shah, to emphasise his power, likes to surround
himself with a number of viziers. There is a vizier of
everything, from the Vizier of War to the Vizier of
Royal Constructions. There is a Vizier of Finances, a
Vizier of Foreign Affairs, a Vizier of Beasts of Burden,
who has under his direction all the mules, asses, and
camels of the Government ; a Vizier of Ceremonies, a
Vizier of Customs, who is European ; a Councillor of
the Navy, an Englishman, who, from Teheran, is sup
posed to keep an eye upon the single battleship yacht
of the Persian Navy.
There is also a Vizier of Mines, although none of
the Persian mines are exploited with the exception of
those of turquoises and a small one of coal, belonging
to the Vizier of Public Instruction.
The more numerous the viziers who surround the
Shah, the more powerful he feels himself to be. But
in reality all the strings of the State are in the hands
of the Grand Vizier. He has to control everything, from
the treaties with foreign powers to the smallest details
of administration. Everything is submitted to him, but
naturally little attracts his attention ; that is why one has
resource to bribery towards him, or to influences, even
that of his harem, to attract his attention upon certain
things. In the middle of a Council of State he may

m* / ¦

GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE 199
be disturbed to administer justice between two street
porters who have been quarrelling.
He is the only one who governs. This centralisation,
exceeding human strength, can be only detrimental to
the country ; so much so, that in order not to lose his
position, he has to keep an eye on the Shah, to prevent
plots against himself. He accompanies His Majesty on
his travels, his hunting parties, etc.
The Grand Vizier is the busiest man in the kingdom ;
it is right, in return, that he should be the best paid.
His appointments have, in fact, no end. He receives
presents from all parts of the country, and has a finger
in everything, which always comes out gilded.
The governors of the provinces, though nominated
by the Shah, have to deal with the Grand Vizier — rather
indirectly, for they are all-powerful in their provinces.
They can condemn to death and execute all those who
are comprised in their administrations without reference
to the central Government
They send the taxes to the Shah through the medium
of the Grand Vizier, but levy them as they choose and
as often as they choose. They may do it three or four
times, if not more, in the year at their pleasure, or, more
strictly speaking, according to their power.
There are two sorts of taxes in Persia : the malliat,
corresponding to our regular taxes, which comprises a
land tax of a fifth of the produce ; a sort of octroi upon
merchandise and import and export duties ; and the
Sadir, an extraordinary tax for special occasions.

200 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Under the governor — called in Persian Hakem — is the
Naib-el-Houkouma or lieutenant-governor. Then come
the Kalantar or mayors ; then the Kedkhoda or chiefs
of wards or parishes, if in a town, or the headsman of
villages. The Daroga is the chief of police.
All these functionaries have authority over taxes,
offences, crimes, under the custom-law called Ourf
Questions of property, inheritance, marriage, divorce,
etc., are decided by the written law called Shara, based
upon the Koran, and the Sonna or tradition. This is
in the hands of the Mollahs, and presided over by the
Imam-Jomeh. In the villages the Khazi (the Kadis of the Arabian
Nights) are the only enforcers of the written law.
It is unnecessary to say that the law is very arbitrary,
and that justice is given in favour of the most powerful
or the one who will pay most.
There are a thousand " Chinesities " in the law,
amongst them that called dast-guerdan, an instance of
which was given to me by Mirza Ali Akbar.
When he bought his garden for sixty tomans, he
went with the seller to the Hakem-Shara — the doctor of
the law. There, as he had not the entire sum in ready
money, though it was due to him a little later, he put
into the hand of the seller the five tomans which he
had brought with him for that purpose ; then he borrowed
this very five tomans from the seller and gave them
back to him again as the price of the garden : he
borrowed and gave them eleven times running, saying

GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE 201
to him, " I give you this money for the price of the
land." To which the seller answered eleven times, " I
lent you five tomans." In this way the Mirza had given
sixty tomans to the seller, and had become proprietor
of the garden, and the contract of sale was notified by
the Hakem-Shara. At the same time he had contracted
a loan of fifty-five tomans, payable at intervals agreed
upon, which gave rise to a new contract of quite a
different order. This is only an Oriental form of
mortgage. Coming to the subject of punishments, the first to be
described is the bastinado — the most ordinary sentence
in Persia. To inflict the bastinado, the following imple
ments ; are used: (i) A fellek, a sort of pole, eight
feet long, with handles at each end and a cord in the
middle, fastened in two places about half a yard apart,
through which the feet of the victim are passed, when
it is twisted to the requisite tightness. (2) The choub,
which means wood, is a willow rod about six feet long
and rather thicker than the thumb. They are kept
in bunches in the tank of the courtyard to render
them tough and supple so that they may not break
easily. The condemnation may either be for so many
strokes, or till so many choub are broken, which makes
all the difference, for a choub generally lasts three or
four strokes. The sentence is seldom for less than fifty
choub. But for a severe punishment a favourite number
is a thousand and one. In that case death may super-

202 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
vene, and in any case the culprit is confined to his bed
for several months.
After the fifty or hundred strokes, which is the
ordinary sentence, the victim can generally walk in two
or three days. It does not break any bones, but makes
the feet swell to three or four times their size, and bleed
profusely. This fellek and choub are always ready, not only
in the house of each governor and judge, but of every
important personage. Nearly everybody has a right to
inflict the bastinado, and everybody has received or will
receive it, from the Grand Vizier to the lowest camel-
driver. When two people are condemned together, one foot
of each is put into the fellek.
When men are condemned, they commence taking
off their shoes themselves, lie on their backs on the
ground, and hold up their feet to be fastened in the
fellek. As soon as the strokes descend, they scream for
mercy — Amanl Amanl (mercy). The judge very often
stops the punishment to say, " Confess your crime, and
you will only receive the proper punishment ; but if you
do not confess, you will first be beaten till you do confess,
and then receive the punishment that you merit." This
argument generally decides the victim to confess, even
when he is not guilty.
Then the choubs begin to fall again on the soles of
his feet, and between his shouts he promises the

GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE 203
ferrashes (executioners) so much money if the blows
are caught by the fellek. But they strike the feet until
they extort the promise of the sum they demand. Then
they strike on the fellek, and occasionally on the feet.
In order not to attract the attention of the judge, the
man shrieks louder than ever.
Torture is also used to extort the confession of
crimes. Many of the tortures cannot be described in
these pages. Roasting the feet over a brazier, the
favourite punishment of the Inquisitors in Spain, is one
of the mildest.
After the bastinado, the most ordinary punishment is
to cut off the nose and the ears. If you see a man of
the lower class wearing a turban down to the neck, you
may be sure that he has lost them.
Thieves have a hand cut off, and if they repeat the
offence they lose the other hand. If the head does not
fall at the third offence, anyhow a foot will go.
Capital punishment in Persia is generally inflicted by
cutting the throat. Hanging is rare. There is an
engaging simplicity about a Persian execution. It takes
place in the public square. The prisoner is brought
with a heavy chain on his neck and his hands. While
the executioner sharpens his curved knife, a pipe is
handed to the prisoner, who smokes it with Oriental
fatalism. When the chain is taken off his neck, the
prisoner kneels with his back to the executioner, who
takes him by the upturned chin and draws his knife
across the taut throat If the knife does not cut well,

204 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
after the first stroke the executioner leaves the person
half killed to sharpen it.
The body is left lying on the ground. The family
and friends come to take it away, and have to pay a fee
to the executioner, who only pauses to take the chains
off the body.
Nobody pays much attention to an execution in
Persia, unless the culprit is notorious. It is considered
an unimportant thing.
On the day of the execution the executioner goes
about the bazar and levies a fee of one or two pence on
the merchants for doing them the service of ridding them
of a dangerous person.
The Persians have recourse, more or less, to all
the punishments that human ingenuity has invented.
They even crucify occasionally, though the victim is
nailed to a wall instead of to a cross.
The condemned, if they are important, are blown from
the mouth of guns.
Another punishment is to bury a person up to his
neck in wet slime, which, when it dries, contracts and
gradually crushes him, one of the most terrible of all
deaths, worse than the walling up, which was the
fate in the Middle Ages of nuns unfaithful to their
vows. Walling up is used for making examples.
At the gates of towns may be seen pillars of brick
about the height of a man, with domed tops. It is in
these that the victims are walled up. They may be

GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE 205
heard calling for water, though generally the pillars are
supposed to have their hollows filled up with earth so
that the victims cannot move, and die quickly.
Punishments have to be condign and exemplary in
Persia, where instincts are very primitive and un
restrained. The Persians are capable of being very cruel,
especially in the uneducated classes. They sometimes
leave the old women to die unheeded.
A Russian resident in Teheran saw in a street near
his house a little negro slave about fourteen years old,
worn to a skeleton, lying in the arch of an uninhabited
house. He sent his servant to inquire and give help to
the poor little wretch. The servant came back saying
that the case was hopeless ; that he was the slave of a
neighbour, and was in an advanced stage of consumption,
so he was being allowed to die in peace. Allah would
provide for him. He then went himself, and put some
silver in the boy's hand, and took him some hot milk to
revive him. The boy was too feeble to drink it, or even
to express his thanks. The kindly Russian gave orders
for the boy to be removed to a hospital, and promised
to pay the expenses, to the absolute astonishment of the
bystanders. The boy was removed, but it is to be
feared not to the hospital, because no demand for money
ever reached the generous foreigner.
The Persians are naturally no kinder to beasts, which
are left to die on the spot where they break down. They
do not even cut their throats, much less waste a cartridge

206 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
on them to shorten their sufferings. I have often come
across dying camels or asses on the roads.
Although the Persian rivals even the Chinese in his
moments of cruelty, it must not be imagined that cruelty
is anything like so general in the land of Hafiz and
Sa'di. And the new generation has a distinct inclination
to clemency. Mirza Ali Akbar did not care to talk much about
politics, but on a few occasions he broke through his rule,
and the following is the gist of one of his conversations
on the state of his country : —
" It is sad to see Persia falling into an anarchy which
will make it sink into the hands of the Russians and the
English. " The feebleness and good-nature of the Shah form
one of the principal causes of this decadence. He is
surrounded by courtiers who are for the most part Turks
from Azerbeijan, who, thinking only of their personal
advantage, divert Muzaffer-ed-din from his royal duties.
"After having led him into debauchery to weaken
him and make themselves indispensable, either as a
doctor, like Hakim-ul-Mulk, or as a buffoon, like several
others, they have given him the habit of opium-smoking.
" Lately, at the review of Cossacks, did you notice
how changed he looked ? He seemed thinner and older ;
his face had shrunk, and in spite of the jewels covering
his uniform, and of his imperious air, he gave an
impression of sadness.

GOVERNMENT AND JUSTICE 207
" This year has been disastrous for Persia — no water,
no bread, no money. The wheat has been 'cornered'
by rich courtiers, so powerful that the Shah does not
dare to make them disgorge. At this time last year its
price was nine tomans and a half or ten tomans the
Khalvar. This year it costs eighteen or nineteen tomans
the Khalvar. The barley, which was sold ten years ago
at from nine to eleven krans the Khalvar, and had
mounted to five tomans the Khalvar last year, fetches
to-day twelve tomans ; and all these prices will augment
considerably during the winter.
" Life is becoming very difficult in Teheran. There are
continual riots in the bazars. When the Shah went there
recently, he was groaned. Last week he found under
his pillow the following warning : ' If your Majesty has
not restored the affairs of the State to the condition in
which they were in your father's reign before the sacred
month of Ramazan, a Reza (the name of the assassin of
Nasr-ed-din) will come to do justice upon you in the
name of the people of Iran.'
" All this indicates that the people have reached the
limits of their patience. The officials and the army,
whose salaries have not been paid for the last eighteen
months, are exasperated. The last straw at which the
Shah can clutch would be a foreign loan, by which the
finance could be restored all round."
Since then the situation has not changed except for
the worse, though a young Shah has succeeded to the
throne, and Persia has received the Pandora's box of

208 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Parliamentary Institutions. Much water will run into
the Araxes, and very like much blood also, before Persia
gets a good government, and she will be happy if only
Russia and England arrange these blessings for her, and
not marauding Germany as well.

CHAPTER XXII
THE FATE OF REFORMS IN PERSIA
Following the good advice of Foreign Ministers who
pointed out to him the faults in the administration of
the provinces, the Shah tried to have governors who
would conform with European ideas and not over-tax or
ill-treat the inhabitants of their provinces. He chose
from among his courtiers a man who had been educated
in Europe and was favourable to these ideas. But no
one in the province to which he was sent understood
what a blessing it was ; they only despised him for his
weakness. The result was that not a fourth of the
taxes could be raised. Crimes increased ; as he was un
willing to have recourse to cruelty, he had to resign
his post.
They actually robbed him when he was on his return
to Teheran. The Shah was quite determined to take his revenge
on the inhabitants of that province, and sent them as
governor the most reactionary and violent of his officers.
Hardly had he arrived before the bastinado was in
full swing. He had the taxes paid twice in the first
month, and sundry recalcitrants blown from the mouths
14

210 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
of guns, so that he made quite a name all round. The
same people who had despised his just and kind-hearted
predecessor so much that they called him a woman,
admired the new-comer, whom they dreaded, and said,
" At last we have a lion."
As an instance of the arbitrariness to which the
Persian populace is accustomed to submit, I may mention
the governor who had some people bastinadoed because
they had been walking in the bazars without treading
the backs of their slippers under their heels.
All this shows that the Persian people are not yet
quite ripe for Parliamentary Institutions, and other
"blessings of civilisation."
Another still-born attempt at introducing Occidental
ideas was the establishment of the Persian Patrie.
When Nasr-ed-din Shah came back from his first
voyage in Europe, he was full of projects of reform ;
the one which interested him particularly was the
propagation of ideas by the means of the Press. He
was very fond of the European papers ; every day one
of his viziers had to read them to him. So, in order
to have a well-edited and interesting paper, he thought
the best way would be to put it under European
direction. The Minister of Foreign Affairs had an
editor sent from Paris, and the paper was to be
Franco - Persian, French being the only European
language used by the Persians. The name chosen
was La Patrie, something quite new to Persia, where
the idea of patrie does not exist.

THE FATE OF REFORMS IN PERSIA 211
When the French director arrived in Teheran, he was
told to act as he would in France. The "extremely
liberal ideas " of His Majesty were vaunted to him, and
his desire to Europeanise his kingdom. The Frenchman
a republican, totally ignorant of Persian ways, took this
for plain truth, and wrote his leader in accordance with
it. The first number of La Patrie was printed on the
5th of February 1876, a historical date without any
to-morrow. " To our Readers and Confreres.
" We have obtained from the Imperial Government
of His Majesty the Shah the authorisation to publish a
Franco- Persian paper, and in delivering to the public this
first number, we feel the need to let him know the line of
conduct that we intend to follow, and from which we shall
not desist.
" Persia was till now deprived of a serious organ
which could properly make it known and, if wanted, to
help it in foreign countries.
" Our confrere the Iran, the official paper of the
Government, has indeed rendered many services ; but,
written only in Persian, it is little spread and little known
out of Persia.
" We intend to fulfil this first lacune in making known
to our confreres of Europe all the grave political questions
or those of general interest relating to Persia.
"We shall be very happy every time they will give
us the occasion to discuss with them, and if ' from the

212 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
clash of ideas must flow light,' we hope that it will be
done in Persia. We pray then the European Press to
allow us to sit with it at the intellectual banquet of
Thought and discussion. We solicit the humblest place ;
it is the one which is proper for us. We are young, but
we ask only to profit by the experience, the wisdom, of
our European predecessors, and to make its benefits
spurt over Persia.
"As to the internal (interior) affairs, we shall speak
of them with the most absolute independence : we have
no party, and do not want to have any ; we want to serve
the country in showing it its true needs. We shall sup
port progress ; every time that it manifests itself, we
shall help it by our encouragement, but we shall never be
vile flatterers. We shall not burn incense to power ; we
shall defend every just cause and blame every reprehen
sible act.
" We shall support the power which represents law
to us ; but if its acts are contrary to law, we shall blame
them the more severely. We shall never interfere with
private life ; not only we shall be neutral, but also com
pletely blind on that subject ; we shall criticise the acts
injurious (noxious) to the general interests of the country.
" War then upon abuses and those who commit them !
Respect religion, respect the Sovereign ! Progress,
justice, equity : this is our device, this is our programme.
"Patrie is the name that we have chosen for our
paper, patriotism being the first civic virtue of a nation.
In Persia it embraces hardly more than the natal district :

THE FATE OF REFORMS IN PERSIA 213
true patriotism must also include love of the Sovereign,
of laws, institutions, and Government of the country.
'To every noble heart his Fatherland is dear,' says a
French author ; may we use the prestige of our name to
be welcomed by our readers. We shall devote all our
cares to merit popular favour, in constituting ourselves
everywhere, and on every occasion, the champion of the
rights of the country and of the people."
There was never any second number, nor could
the editor be allowed to remain in the country. At the
expense of three years' salary to the Shah, he left for
Europe at once.
Another prize fiasco was the Tobacco Concession,
which not only fell through, but nearly dragged down the
Kajar dynasty in its train.
On the 20th of Rajeb 1307 — the 21st of
March 1890 — a treaty was signed between the Persian
Government and an English syndicate, by which the
Government conceded the monopoly of the exportation
of tobaccos in all Persia for the annual payment of
fifteen thousand pounds and the promise to give the
Government beyond that what they used to receive in
taxes on the tobacco. More than a hundred thousand
pounds of backsheesh had to be distributed.
A few months after, a quantity of English and
Levantine employees arrived in Persia, with airs of
conquest which gave great displeasure to the natives,
and a few disturbances arose. The priests, under-

214 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
standing the advantage they could derive from it, fanned
the flame. They were very likely helped in that by the
Russians, who were disagreeably affected by the im
portant concession being awarded to their chief rivals
in Persia. The first reason given by the priests was the impurity
of the tobacco on account of its having passed through
the hands of infidels ; and the Moujtehid of Kerbela,
the most influential priest in Persia, who resides on the
Turkish territory, forbade the use of tobacco. He wrote
to the Shah that selling to Christians privileges which
belonged to Mussulmans was contrary to the Koran ; and,
curiously enough, all Persians refrained from smoking.
All the tobacco shops were shut. Everybody obeyed :
if anyone had been seen smoking, he would have been
mobbed. The Shah, frightened, and influenced by Russia,
promised to take back the concession as soon as the
indemnity to recompense the company could be fixed.
He hoped that temporising would be a remedy. And
as there was a revolt in Tabriz, and the palace of the
Crown Prince was threatened, he ordered that all the
functionaries of the company in Azerbeijan should be
Persians. Ispahan and Shiraz began to move also, but
they received only good words. The Government ex
pected that after a little time had passed they would
become reconciled to the idea, and submit to the
fait accompli.
In a place called Kelardesht, a Seyyed, who gave

THE FATE OF REFORMS IN PERSIA 215
himself the name of Alamghir — Conqueror of the
World — preached rebellion, and succeeded in raising
a few hundred followers. It appeared more formidable
than it really was, for when the Shah sent some troops
the rebels were easily captured.
But in Teheran one was on the gui vive. The Shah
quitted the town to go to a hunting box, and left the
Grand Vizier alone. The governor of the town had all
the doors of the palace walled up except one or two.
But still the company was ready to buy the tobacco.
A few growers sent in their crops, but some rich
merchants deliberately burnt theirs in the public square
rather than give it to the hated foreigner. Still there
was not a man to be seen smoking, and the firm attitude
of the population very much astonished the European
representatives, who did not expect so much from the
weak character of the Persians. The Minister of Great
Britain was the very first to advise the company to
surrender the concession. Meetings were organised for
discussing the indemnity. A Persian dared to say, in
the presence of the Grand Vizier, that first of all those
who had received backsheesh must hand it in as a
contribution to the indemnity. And one morning
Europeans found on the walls of their quarter posters
threatening them with death if in two days' time the
concession was not cancelled. This impressed the Shah,
who put up other posters to this effect : "Out of love
of my people, I cancel the concession."
Soon after, he received congratulations from the

216 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
clergy, and especially from the Moujtehid of Kerbela,
who added that it would be wise and to the advantage
of religion to take away from the defiling hands of
Europeans all concessions. This made the Shah and
the Government very furious ; and in the desire to
appear energetic, he sent an order to the Moujtehid
Ashtiani of Teheran to smoke, in order to set an
example to the inhabitants, or, in default of that, to go
into exile instantly. Ashtiani chose exile, and contrived
that everybody should know it immediately, and some
of his people went into the bazars and fomented a
disturbance. In a moment the rioters were marching
on the palace. They began by throwing stones at the
palace of Naib-es-Saltaneh, next to the Shah's, which
was surrounded by troops. They were commencing to
attack the Shah's palace, to which His Majesty had
returned the day before, when the officer who was in
command of the troops lost his head, and gave the
command to fire. Three volleys were fired, and seven
people were killed, and nearly thirty wounded. That
was enough to make everybody fly. Meanwhile Euro
peans were very much alarmed. Two of them, who
were in the bazars, owed their lives to the protection
of some natives. One was nailed up in a packing-case
and was rescued in the middle of the night ; the other
was disguised as a Persian woman. The disguise saved
his life ; for in it he was able to cross the streets to the
European quarter.
On the day after, as the Europeans expected to be

THE FATE OF REFORMS IN PERSIA 217
massacred, the director of the company asked all those
who wished, to come and take refuge in the huge
building of the company, in order to sell their lives
dearly, and many went there. There was a big lunch,
which was called the Lunch of the Massacre. They
expected, for their dessert, to have their heads cut off.
But nothing happened, and everybody went home un
molested. The Moujtehid Ashtiani had neither smoked nor
departed. He gave as an excuse that the mob would
let him go only on the condition that the Shah tear
up in their presence the original contract of the con
cession, which he asked the Shah to send to him. The
answer of the Shah was that he could remain, and at
the same time the bearer brought him a diamond ring.
But Ashtiani accepted that present only when he learned
of the dissolution of the company, announced by the
poster of the director himself, who at the same time
asked the people who had sold the tobacco to him to
come back and take it away.
A little time after, the public crier announced in the
streets and the bazars that the Moujtehid of Kerbela
had removed the prohibition on smoking, which was a
great relief. One heard again in the streets the cries
of the Kalyan-frouch — the men who carry about tobacco
and pipes, light them, and, for a trifle, hire them out to
you to be smoked.
An agreement was afterwards come to between the
Persian Government and the English Legation, by which,

218 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
after a delay of four months, the sum of five hundred
thousand pounds was to be paid to the company. And
so, what at one time appeared likely to be an affair of
importance, quietly ended.
The vox populi has not the weight of the vox dei
in Persia. It is generally condemned to the silence
which means consent.
In order to know the opinion of his subjects on their
governors, the late Shah had letter-boxes put up in the
principal squares of each town. These boxes were
sealed, in order that they could only be opened in his
presence. The people were invited to put in them any
complaint they had to make. But this experiment had
no effect, for the governors used to put two sentinels
on each side of the box with whips, and if anyone had
the idea of posting a letter to the Shah, he was whipped
away. The new Shah, Mohammed Ali, has had recourse
to a more modern means. He has established a tele
phone cabin in the Meidan-i-Toup-Khaneh in Teheran,
and anybody who has a complaint to make to him may
ring him up. But the chances are that the telephone
will share the fate of the pillar-box.

CHAPTER XXIII
BAZARS— I
SHOEMAKERS — TOBACCONISTS AND PROVISION DEALERS
The bazars in the East being the centre of active life,
it was there that I used to go most with the Mirza,
to gather Persian impressions.
Like the bazars in Constantinople and Cairo, those
of Teheran consist of an immense labyrinth of streets
covered with brick vaults, forming an uninterrupted row
of little domes, in the middle of each of which a round
hole is pierced to let in the light. Through this hole
the sun darts its rays like the flash-light of a man-
of-war amid the half-lights of the vaults, which in
summer keep the air so cool.
When you enter the great central artery, which
starts from the south of the Sabz-Meidan, you are in
the Bazar of the Shoemakers. On both sides of the
vault are stalls, from ten to fifteen feet square, with a
floor about three feet above the ground. These are
occupied by the makers of all sorts of shoes. Here are
pahpoush, yellow, or green for the Mollahs; there are
the tiny red slippers with turned -up toes and metal
219

220 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
heels which the women wear. Farther on are the ugly
boots of blacking leather or patent leather with elastic
sides which are intended for those who wish to enjoy
the advantages of civilisation. Then come the shops
where you buy the giveh, the national shoes of Persia,
made of very strong white linen, with soles of plaited
thongs dyed green ; and the yellow top-boots, with the
red rolled-over tops and very turned-up toes and thick
soles, like Tartar boots, which are worn by the Persians
in the mountains.
Nothing used to amuse me more than the diversity
of types we met in the bazar. All the types and all
the costumes of Central and Western Asia elbow each
other here in the most extraordinary medley.
The first thing I saw in the bazars, riding a mule,
was a venerable Moujtehid, in a close -rolled white
turban of a thousand little folds, wound round and
round a pointed conical cap. He was accompanied
by a numerous suite of Mollahs, who wore turbans too,
but not with the same elaborate coils, because these
are reserved for the highest ranks of the priesthood;
of Seyyeds, with dark blue turbans, or green, if they
were hadji (pilgrims), as well as descendants of the
Prophet, all of them wearing long flowing robes,
belted in at the waist by a Cashmere shawl in which
the calamdan and the roll of paper appear which are
the badge of men of letters. The crowd made deep
bows to the Moujtehid, and many of them kissed the
hem of his garment. He looked at them with con-

CO v
-s

BAZARS 221
descension, but with a distracted attention, for his eyes
seemed to be regarding in the visionary distance the
series of the Seven Heavens promised in the Koran.
The Persian is very theatrical ; he always likes to look
his part. If he is a general, he is Bombastes ; if he is
a judge, he is Rhadamanthus.
Then came an Armenian in a low kolah, with clothes
which he imagined to be European. He was careful
not to brush the Mussulmans, knowing that they would
curse him if he polluted them with his impure touch.
The men with flashing eyes and moustaches like
a walrus's, wearing a sort of bolero made of plaited
foals' hair, and a round white cap encircled with striped
silk, whose fringe fell over their faces, were merchants
from Kurdistan. Their rifles, slung over their right
shoulders, and bandoliers full of cartridges, showed that
even Mercury could . not go out without being armed
in their "charming" country.
The man with a square beard, with a blue and
white striped cloth on his head, held in its place by
a crown of camel's hair cords with gold knobs, was a
merchant of Baghdad ; he was positively glittering in
his sky-blue abba with golden stripes like sun-rays.
As he passed by the Orthodox Persians cursed him,
for he was a Sunnite, and his dress was like the one
that the assassins of Kassem wear in the religious
processions of Moharrem. The young negro who
followed him was a Somali slave that he was probably
oing to sell.

222 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Then came a water-carrier, dressed in nothing but
a dirty shirt, bowed down by the weight of his goat-skin
full of water, which swayed about on his back. He held
in his left hand one of the legs of the skin, which is the
tap through which he draws the water, and in his
right a brass cup engraved with sentences from the
Koran and verses of poetry, reciting the praises of
the liquid that he was selling. He was watering the
front of a shop.
There were interminable files of black phantoms
gliding from shop to shop, bargaining noiselessly, and
disappearing like shadows. This is all that one sees
of the fair sex, with the exception of a few Armenian
women, half- veiled, with round caps of embroidered
velvet on the tops of their heads, from which fall a
quantity of plaits, concealed in the folds of the
chader, which they wear like their Mussulman con
geners. Horsemen were riding about, and there were strings
of little grey donkeys loaded with bricks for building,
and interminable caravans of camels with deafening
bells. Their heads, ornamented with tufts of red,
green, and yellow, were balanced in a bored and
supercilious sort of way on the top of their long
swans' necks, encircled with collars of red leather
ornamented with little white cowries. Their india-
rubber -like feet flattened out as they touched the
ground with the regularity of a clock ; the loads
hanging from each side of their humps, swaying and

BAZARS 223
knocking against the walls, were a perpetual menace
for the foot passenger. Suddenly there was a pande
monium : two caravans coming in opposite directions
had met. The camel-drivers shouted to make their
beasts give way to each other, but in vain ; for the
beasts were locked together as their loads caught, and
dashed the foot passengers into the walls. The cries
of fury and the oaths of the camel - drivers were
blended with the growling of the camels, the yells
of the people, and the howling of the dogs which
were run over, and the screams of the frightened
women. The entire traffic was suspended, and it took more
than half an hour to re-establish order. This incident,
during which the Mirza and I took refuge in a shop
in order not to be crushed, gave me the opportunity
of bargaining for a pair of exquisite little pahpouxh
of gazelle skin, embroidered with golden palms and
mother-of-pearl dates. One of these was still in the
hands of the workmen. The merchant asked a
ridiculous price, as if the pearls had been real ; and
to give them more value in my eyes, he assured me
that they belonged to one of those mysterious phantoms
whom fear had driven into the corner of his shop,
and who, he said, was a Khanoum (i.e. lady) of import
ance. The Mirza drew my attention to a chader of
black silk fringed with gold lace in the middle of
some cotton chaders. Who knows ? it might have
been a princess shopping with her maids. How

224 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
exciting it would have been to have carried off the
pahpoush of the trembling phantom, who, seated in
that corner, looked like a half -filled balloon in the
middle of other half-filled balloons. All sorts of ideas
passed through my mind : I had visions of a Cinderella
of the " Thousand and One Nights," or else perhaps
this mignon slipper that I was holding in my hand
had been used by the lady to chastise her unfaithful
husband, for the heel of the pahpoush is a favourite
weapon in the harem.
But the Mirza frowned at me, and I understood that
all this was the Eternal Persian Mirage, and must go the
way of all mirages. ... So I ran away laughing.
We passed through the bazar of kalyans, chibouks, and
other pipes, which was crowded with pilgrims from
Kashgar, easily recognisable by their high cheek-bones
and narrow eyes, laying in supplies for their journey to
Mecca, and went to the Tobacco Bazar.
It is a very quiet place, full of the fragrance of
nicotine. On the counters were bricks of amber-coloured
tobacco, almost as closely pressed as wood — some a yard
high and long and wide, some still sewn up in goat-skins.
There were also beautiful long leaves of tobacco of
Shiraz for the kalyans, and tobacco of Kachan, shredded
into fine flakes like curls of fair hair, for making into
cigarettes. Flint and steel are still much used, but are being
driven out by Japanese and Russian imitations of Swedish
matches — the Japanese being incomparably better.

BAZARS 225
There was an attempt to start a match factory in
Persia, but it failed.
Seeing some very beautiful leaves of tobacco for the
kalyan, I asked the price, and was told a price which
came to about two francs — four krans — the pound. I
ordered two pounds.
" But you put your thumb on the scales ! " I ex
claimed, seeing that the merchant was cheating. He
looked at me — there was a pause — and then he said, in
the most unabashed way, " Do you imagine that I, am
going to give you tobacco of that fineness for four
krans the pound if I did not put my thumb in the
scale?" I was so pleased to find a Persian so Persian, that
I could do nothing but take the tobacco and add a little
backsheesh to the price he asked.
From this bazar, in order to get to the Jewellers'
Bazar, we made our way to the Provision Bazar. In
this there were all sorts of smells, each more disagreeable
than the last, so that it was no good trying to escape
them. We passed fruit-sellers with most picturesque
stalls, artistically arranged with the famous melons of
Ispahan, whose flavour is renowned all over Western
Asia ; the grapes of Kasvin, and the peaches and apricots
of Teheran. The peach is, as everyone knows, the
Persian fruit ; its name is derived from Persica, and
though the trees are not trained in Persia with the same
care as in Europe, the flavour of the fruit is so delightful
that it deserves the honour. Huge pale yellow citrons
is

226 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
were ranged next to bursting pomegranates, while
stalactites of cucumbers and necklaces of onions hung
from the ceiling. On shelves were piled lettuces, mixed
with pots of flowers and very often cages, golden-barred,
in which the bulbul sang to the rose.
There was a crowd in front of a butcher's stall as
we passed it. To my amazement, I saw that a man
was hooked by his feet like a sheep. The Mirza
explained to me that he had sold putrid meat, and
that that was an ordinary punishment for this offence.
In case of very grave offences, butchers have some
times been cut up like carcasses, right down the
middle. A little farther on were the bakers' shops. They
are very peculiar. First, you noticed the oven, which
was built into one of the corners opening on the street ;
then the bread spread out in sheets upon sloping
boards which reached from floor to roof.
Mirza Ali Akbar told me that during the last
famine the bakers had been buying up and concealing
the corn in order to send up the price. The governor
of the town came in a fury with his ferrashes to the
Bakers' Bazar, and, seeing all the stalls empty, asked
the first baker why he had no bread out. The man
made an unfortunate answer : " We have nothing to
put in the ovens, your Excellency." " By the Shah's
salt," answered the governor, turning to his ferrashes,
"put him into the oven, and we shall see!" On
the following day all the shops were, of course,

BAZARS 227
full of bread. That shows, added the Mirza, that
energetic measures are the only kind to succeed in
Persia. There is no Milk Bazar, or Heaven knows what
one might see there.

CHAPTER XXIV
BAZARS— II
FUNERALS — THE BAZAR OF THE BOOKSELLERS —
MIRZA ALI AKBAR'S GARDEN
ONe day, as we were on our way to the Bazar of the
Booksellers, to buy a few works that I wanted to trans
late, we saw a funeral approaching us.
The body, wrapped in precious fabrics, was carried by
four men on their shoulders, upon a bier encircled with
a low wooden balustrade. As it passed in front of us,
all of a sudden Mirza Ali Akbar left me, and brusquely
sprang at the bier. One of the bearers gave up his place
to him, and he walked for a few yards very hurriedly,
till another man took his place.
I waited for him, without being very much astonished
at what he had done, for I knew that it was considered
as a charitable act which brings good luck to give a lift
to the dead.
However, I asked why the funeral went so quickly.
" It is," said he, " in order not to keep the Nekirin wait
ing — i.e. the two angels, Nekir and Monkir, who in
terrogate the dead." 228

BAZARS 229
The conversation thus inspired, caused us to speak
of death. And I learnt from him that already, during
the agony of the dying, his bed is turned in such a way
that his face should be directed towards the sanctuary of
the Kaaba at Mecca, whilst the Mollah, who has come
to his bedside, or anyone who is there, makes him pro
nounce the Mussulman profession of faith in Arabic :
" There is no God but God ; Mahomet is the prophet
of God, and Ali his Veli."
As soon as the man is dead — or very likely only
supposed to be so, for there is no certificate of death in
Persia, nor any medical examination — the lamentations
begin. All the family give heart-rending shrieks, and
tear their clothes and put ashes on their heads, whilst a
messenger is sent to fetch the washers of the dead, who
come and take away the body to a house reserved for
the purpose. There he is stripped of his clothes, and
washed in three different waters- — firstly, three times in
plain water ; secondly, three times in water infused with
myrrh ; and thirdly, three times in water infused with
camphor, beginning at the head and ending at the
feet. The corpse is then re-dressed in a Kafan — i.e.
garment of the dead — after the washers of the dead put,
if he be a fully grown man, two thin wands of an ell's
length under the armpits, in order that he may raise
himself on them when he is interrogated by the Nekirin.
The Kafan is made of pure white cotton or linen, and
is composed of three pieces — a shirt, a cloth which

230 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
envelopes the head, and a winding sheet, which
envelopes the whole body.
According to the amount of property of the dead,
this Kafan is covered with stuff more or less precious.
Then the corpse is taken to the cemetery. All this is
done in great haste. The deceased is buried a few
hours after his death. This is the reason why one
hears so often in Persia of people coming to life again
when they are supposed to be dead.
The only exceptions are a few grandees and very
rich people, whose bodies are transported to a sacred
place like Kum, Meshed, or Kerbela, a great expense,
especially if they are taken to Kerbela, which is more
than a month's journey by caravan from Teheran.
One may meet such a caravan on the road of
Hamadan, with mules carrying a coffin on each side.
The robbers lie in wait for them in the mountains of
Kurdistan on the frontier of Turkey, to steal the presents
to the shrine sent with them, or to rob the rich widows
who accompany their departed spouses. It is in Kerbela
that Muzaffer-ed-din Shah has ordered his body to be
buried, in the sacred territory where Imam Houssein
was assassinated.
During the progress to the cemetery, prayers are
recited by a Mollah, who accompanies the funeral, with
responses from all the company.
Arrived at the cemetery, where a grave has been
dug, they place in it first of all a mat, upon which the
body is lowered, its right side being turned towards the

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BAZARS 231
Kaaba. Over the body, at about a foot and a half from
the floor of the grave, a vault is built with stones, or
planks are laid across, and then the hole is filled in
with earth.
As soon as this human ceremony is ended, Nekir
and Monkir, the two angels, who are of a most terrifying
aspect, armed with flaming maces, make the grave blaze
with their presence. By order of God the dead revives,
and, raising himself on the two wands which have been
placed under his armpits, sits up.
With a profound and threatening voice the Nekirin
then demand of him, "What is thy religion?" If he
answers, "There is no God but God, and Mahomet is
his prophet, and Ali is his lieutenant," the angels bend
over him and caress him. But if the answer is different,
no matter if he speaks in the name of the Bible, the
Talmud, or the Zend-Avesta, the Nekirin strike him
dead with their maces, and put him in chains and drag
him off to hell.
It is a custom that a third of the fortune left by the
dead should be spent upon him. First there is the
expense of his tomb, which may be a simple stone, more
or less carved, but without any inscription, laid upon
the earth where he reposes, with another stone, some
times trefoil-headed, like ours, sometimes made in the
shape of a shaft with a turban at the top, to indicate
where the head lies ; or it may be a mausoleum, with a
cupola. Then there are the expenses of the mourning
and fasting (by hired mourners), which lasts three days

232 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
or more ; and then there are the expenses for the
prayers, the fasting and the reading of the Koran (the
whole or parts of it), and the pilgrimage to Meshed,
Kerbela, or Mecca. For the prayers, the fasting, the
Koran reading, and the pilgrimage, a certain sum of
money is paid to persons who will pray, fast, read the
Koran, and go on the pilgrimage ; but all the benefits
obtained by these meritorious actions will not accrue to
them, they will accrue to the soul of the dead.
While we were discoursing about Death, we arrived
at the Bazar of the Booksellers. It was like the covered-
in yard of a caravanserai, with rooms opening on to
balconies. It was as solemn as a mosque ; venerable
old men, peering into dusty books and wearing the
old national dress, were talking to the shopkeepers in
a whisper. We sat on the mats in front of a shop, whose
owner looked at me with less forbidding eyes than the
others, and tea was brought to us. The Mirza began
to talk in his most engaging way, whilst all the public
round stared at us with unconcealed hostility. Valuable
books were wrapped up in old stuffs, and it was in vain
that I asked for them to be shown to me, for they were
sacred books, and the fact of having them in my hands
would have polluted them. I could not even procure
a fine Shahnameh with illustrations. The only books
that I could buy were a Gulistan of Sa'di, in manu
script of rather a bad hand, for good handwriting is so
appreciated in Persia that its price is prohibitive.

BAZARS 233
A few lithographed books were on sale, some
executed in Bombay, some in Constantinople or Cairo,
but very few made in Teheran.
I bought also the popular Tale of the Forty Parrots,
bound in leather, for one kran (about sixpence). It had
very primitive illustrations.
As soon as we had completed our purchase in that
sacred and inhospitable spot, the Mirza took me to his
garden, which he had promised to show me. We
drove to the Gate of Shimran, and in the plain, a few
hundred yards from the city moat, he showed me a
square enclosure with high mud walls. We alighted,
and passed through a very small wooden door, neither
heavy nor strong, and entered what the Mirza called
his bagcheh. Like the Italians, many Persians have
gardens outside the city, far from their houses, where
they enjoy sitting in the shade and looking at flowers.
The garden was still in the Land of Promise. The
Mirza had planted some poplars about a yard high in
very straight rows raying out from a round tank, which
furnished all the water supply. The paths were marked
out by stones picked up on the spot. The poplars
looked like broom handles ; hardly any of them gave
any sign of recognition with leaves, because they had
been planted so recently.
A few rose trees were planted here and there,
covered with flowers, but the general aspect was arid
and stony. In spite of that, the Mirza was immensely
proud of this garden. It was the dream of his life

234 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
slowly taking shape. There was a little kiosk in the
corner, made of mud, like the walls, and unpainted
wood, with the front open except for a little trellis on
which jasmine was trained.
We sat on a little carpet, and began to look at the
books we had purchased.
I was most attracted by the funny, childish pictures
of the Tale of the Forty Parrots, and we began to read
it. It tells how " Once upon a time there was a very
rich merchant of turquoises in Nishapur, who was not
married. Everybody wondered, and asked him why.
He explained that he dreaded making the experiment of
a mother-in-law. One day an old woman came to him
and said, ' I have exactly what you want — a girl, beautiful
as the moon at the fourteenth night, with a figure like a
cypress and tulip cheeks, who has no mother and no
father, not even an aunt'
"He agreed to marry her, and the old woman brought
her to him. They were very happy. But a month after
the marriage the merchant received the news that the
price of turquoises had doubled in Tiflis. Seeing that
there was a fresh fortune to be made, he prepared
to make the journey, to sell his stock. The only
question was, what should he do with regard to his
young wife? He had no family himself, and he had
married her because she had none. So he was in
great trouble, when, walking in the bazar, he saw two
beautiful talking parrots for sale. He bought them for
his wife, to keep her company while he was away.

BAZARS 235
She liked them very much, as she heard their sweet
talking. "On the day of the departure of her husband she
mounted to the roof to see him galloping away, and
waved her veil until he had long disappeared over the
horizon, and remained sad and pensive in her loneliness.
Her heart was so dead to all things that she had not even
the desire to breathe the scent of the rose.
" Suddenly a cloud of dust arose in the plain. Her
curiosity was awakened, and when the cloud drew nearer,
she perceived that it was the son of the Shah, riding
with his falconers. He was as beautiful as the rising
sun, and she nearly fainted. She took a little stone and
threw it ; the prince lifted up his head and saw that moon
of beauty. He could think of nothing else but possess
ing her." When the night came, he sent an old woman to bid
her to come to him ; and the forgetful wife, quite excited
at the idea of becoming the wife of the Shahzadeh,
agreed to go, took her chader, enveloped herself in it,
bound the rouhband in front of her face, and was about
to leave the house, when the parrots cried out to her,
' Oh, mistress, where are you going in this way at night ?
Do you not fear the dangers of the streets ? '
" ' Mind your own business ! ' she answered angrily ;
and as the parrots kept on repeating their question, she
took one of them and wrung its neck.
" Then she repented of her cruelty. The other parrot
began to cry bitterly for the loss of her husband, so

236 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Zarin-Taj — for that was the name of the lady — had to
remain to console her, and said to the old woman, ' I will
go to-morrow night ! '
"On the day after, as soon as the twilight was
drawing in, the old woman knocked at the door again.
Zarin-Taj, remembering her promise, took her chader,
enveloped herself in it, bound the rouhband in front of
her face, and was going to leave the house, when the
parrot cried out to her as before, ' Oh, mistress, where
are you going in this way ? Do you forget that it was
on a night like this that a terrible fate happened to the
fair Zeinab ? '
" Zarin-Taj asked what Zeinab's fate was, and the
parrot began to tell a long story that lasted to the
dawn." And the same thing happened for forty nights, till the
return of the husband.
The scheme is that of the Arabian Nights. Each
of these stories is a mixture of love and the marvellous
adventures in which the childish Oriental mind delights.
We had not time to finish even the first chapter
before it was time for me to go back to my dinner.
I drove home through lonely streets. In Persia
there is none of that coming back to life in the streets
at sunset which is such a feature in the non-Moham
medan countries of the South. All life is behind walls
there.

CHAPTER XXV
BAZARS— -III
AN OLD QUARTER OF THE CITY — HAMMAMS — CARAVAN
SERAIS  THE BAZAR OF THE JEWELLERS
On another day we went to the bazar, passing through
the old town. It was spring-time : we had been riding
outside the town, with Abd-Oullah, my servant, galloping
behind us. We went first to the camp of the Cossacks,
which is ravishing at this time of the year with its long,
shady avenues intersected with streams running through
grass and flowers, where during the heat of summer the
Cossacks pitch their tents. The camp is in a sort of
oasis in the middle of the stony desert which surrounds
Teheran. Coming back from there, we rode along the fortifica
tions that Nasr-ed-din had built under the direction of a
French engineer, in imitation of those of Paris. They
are simply deep moats, whose earth is piled up in a high
rampart on the inner side. These would not be very
formidable in time of war, and could easily be captured
by infantry. But in time of peace they are very useful
to the custom-house officers of the city, for they compel
237

238 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
the caravans of goods to pass through the thirteen gates,
whose pointed arches are surmounted by the slender
minaret-like spires which make the entrances to the city
of the Shah-in-Shah so imposing.
One must add that the smugglers find their way over
these ramparts easily, owing to their tumble-down condi
tion ; in some places a whole caravan could pass them
without difficulty.
After we had been round the ramparts, we entered by
one of the southern gates, and rode through the narrow
and monotonous streets of the old part of the town. The
first quarter we came to was a very poor one, consisting
of very low houses in a terribly ruinous condition.
Ragged little boys were playing in the conduit, where,
here and there, miserable women with hideous and
wrinkled faces, which they took no trouble to conceal,
were washing unrecognisable rags ; whilst a little farther
down others were filling their drinking vessels, without
troubling to think about the washerwomen — the Persians
believe that running water cannot be polluted. At our
approach, crowds of children, women, and old men, all in
rags, and one with a deformed leg, another with a de
formed arm, surrounded our horses, which they frightened
by their cries for charity and their brusque gestures,
catching hold of our bundles, or the skirts of the Mirza's
robes, in sign of supplication. The only means of getting
rid of this noisy and starving crowd, who held out their
emaciated hands, invoking the Imams, and even His
Highness Issa (Jesus), in my honour, was to throw as

BAZARS 239
far as possible all the coins we had. They flew after
them, and we took advantage of the scrambling on the
ground and quarrelling of the crowd to spur our horses
and gallop off.
But we could not gallop in the narrow Persian streets
with impunity. Swarms of dogs, which we roused from their
perpetual siesta (for the dogs in these poor quarters often
have to fall back on the proverb, "Who sleeps dines"),
sprang barking at our horses' heads and snapped at their
legs. My horse reared, and nearly fell on me backwards;
and the Mirza's horse had his hind legs bitten badly, and
began to kick so hard that the poor Mirza was thrown ;
and as he was not at all a good horseman, it was im
possible for me to persuade him to mount the nervous
animal again. We had to give our horses to Abdoullah,
telling him to lead them home, and continue our promenade
on foot. The streets were nearly deserted, for at that time of
the day everybody is in the bazars. Occasionally we
passed a few black phantoms, but mostly blue phantoms,
for the women of the lower classes wear blue chaders. A
fierce sun was beating down on the interminable succession
of mud walls, and this trudge through streets neither
levelled nor paved, with loose stones scattered about them,
was very tiring.
In the middle of the street, about every hundred
paces, there are square holes, which allow the inhabitants
to draw the water from the conduit (called a kanat)
which runs under the street. There are no fountains

240 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
with spouts in Teheran ; the inhabitants have to rely
on these holes for the supply of water, which is nothing
but melted snow brought down by underground kanats
from the mountains. These kanats are the property of
private individuals, who appoint turncocks to turn the
water of the kanat into this or the other house or
garden, and collect the money, water being very valu
able in this dry country. The head of each system of
conduits is an important personage, with the grand title
of Amir-ab, which means Prince of the Waters. He
settles the disputes that often arise about the quantity
of water which has or has not been supplied to such
and such a person, and in summer-time he is the busiest
man in town. These disputes become so acrimonious
on account of the scarcity and costliness of water, that
men are sometimes killed in them.
In some streets the kanats do not run under the
ground, but it is sure not to be very long before they
become subterranean. The holes mentioned above
oblige foot-passengers to look on the ground ; for if
they are inattentive and watching the evolutions of the
birds of prey swooping from the sky, or cats running
on the terraces, they will suddenly fall in. During the
night people have to double their precautions about
holes. But then people seldom go out at night in these
quarters, except during the month of Ramadan, and
never without a fanous (lantern).
At the corner of a street, on a little square, in the
middle of which an elm of the spreading leafy type

BAZARS 241
usual in Persia gave some shadow, was a hammam,
easily recognisable by the lofty arch of its door, over
which shone an inlaid tile picture of Rustem, the
Persian hero, trampling on the White Div (Devil).
Upon the roof, drying upon clothes-lines fastened to
movable posts, were the huge yellow and red striped
cloths in which the bathers wrap themselves, and blue
and white towels, flapping in the wind like the flags of
a regatta. Under the arch of the door were seated the
barber, and the pipelighter of the hammam, and a few
shampooers, naked to the loins, except for their bathing
wrappers, and bareheaded — all the central part of the
head being shaved, leaving only two long locks which
fall behind the ears. Under the shade of the elm tree
two of the shampooere were killing time by wrestling,
which is their favourite pastime while they are waiting
for customers. Only the Mussulmans of the Shiite sect are allowed
to enter these baths. For all human beings belonging to
other sects, including even the Sunnite Mohammedans,
are impure ; and since their impurity becomes double
when they are wet, the hammam is the last place to
which they would be admitted.
When Europeans want to try the charms of the
vapour baths, they are bound to go to the Armenian
hammams. There are two or three of them, very
clean, in the new quarter.
Continuing our walk we arrived at the bazar, and
went to the caravanserai of Hajeb-ed-Dowleh. It is
16

242 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
a huge square courtyard, surrounded by two-storeyed
arcaded buildings, with a tank in the middle shaded by
numerous trees. In it are stored all the goods that the
caravans bring to the wholesale merchants before they
are distributed to the retail traders. This one was
built by Nasr-ed-din Shah. The chief wares stored here
are glass, crockery, lamps, and lustre candlesticks from
Russia and from Baccarat in France. Baccarat is as
well known in its way as Sevres, though the fame of
the town has been eclipsed by the famous gambling
game. Other wares to be found there are cotton goods,
from Manchester, of which there is an enormous con
sumption all through Persia. The Persian cotton fabrics
are imitated so well in Manchester, that they are sold
for Persian in the markets of Persia. There is generally
a contract that certain patterns, called Kalemkar (printed
cottons), should not be sold to anyone but the wholesale
houses in Persia who have ordered them. They may
occasionally be found in Europe, but they have always
made the journey to Persia first Russia is now export
ing cotton goods in considerable quantities to the north
of Persia, and Teheran is the borderland where the two
empires meet.
The cloths of Europe are also to be found in this
caravanserai. They are principally manufactured in
Austria. They are not as expensive as the good
English cloths, and have colours more to the Persian
taste. Some important merchants have their offices in the

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Rock Sculptures of Feth-Ali Shah at Chechmeh=Ali

[Photo by Nejm-oul-Monlk.

BAZARS 243
caravanserai of Hajeb-ed-Dowleh. They supervise the
unloading of caravans ; and the courtyard is then a
medley of camels, of piled-up bales of goods, and large
transactions. There is a bank in the building. The
stables are not there, because if there were animals
there would have to be men to look after them, and
the bazars are hermetically closed at night. Nobody
is allowed to enter them. The animals are kept in
caravanserais outside the bazar.
The ground floor of the caravanserai is occupied by
warehouses, a few of which have recently been trans
formed into shops. The offices are on the upper
floor. From this caravanserai we walked to the Post Office,
for it was the day of the arrival of the mail, which comes
twice a week, once by way of the Caspian, and once by
way of Tabriz. These are the only mail routes from
Europe. The mails are brought by horsemen in huge
black leather sacks, slung behind the saddle, one on
each side of the horse. The mail service in my time
was pretty secure, and if letters were not registered they
were sure to reach their destination, in the rare cases in
which the mail was robbed ; for the robbers kept only
the registered letters, and threw all the others on the
side of the road, where they could be found by the
rescue party. However, the mail is generally attacked
once or twice every year. It has been found out that
the people who rob it are those who send money by it.
They arrange for it to be stolen, and as they have in-

244 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
sured it, the Post Office has to pay up the amount. It
is as simple as arson, but the results are not always
favourable, because now the Government begins by
arresting the man who comes to ask for the money.
There are no foreign Post Offices in Persia, like those
of Turkey, but the Post Office is managed on European
lines by a German.
We got there before the arrival of the mail. The
office was full of the servants of the Legations, who had
come to fetch the mails of their masters.
A letter addressed to a person in Teheran cannot be
posted in Teheran. The post is only for the country
and abroad ; letters in the city are delivered by servants.
When a European wants to send a letter to the Post
Office, he always has it registered, because the Persian
servants are such thieves that if he gave the money
to them they would keep it, and if he put stamps on
they would take them off and throw the letter away,
while for registered letters they have to bring back a
receipt. When you send a note by a servant, the recipient
signs for it on the envelope, which is brought back to
you. This is the Persian form of the chit system.
Some form of Post Office has long existed in Persia,
and in the old time it was very well organised, under the
name of Berid and Oskondar.
The Telegraph service also had an ancient equivalent
in the carrier pigeon post
In winter time the mails are irregular. They then

BAZARS 245
generally take twenty-five days from London, though in
summer they are delivered in fourteen to sixteen days.
You receive the London papers in that time.
The most original method of insurance of which I
ever heard was brought to my notice one day in the
caravanserai Amir. I was talking with a merchant
while camels loaded with dates pressed into goat-skins
were having their packs taken off. As the merchant was
a banker, I looked astonished, and asked, " Why, are you
selling dates now?" He laughed, and nodded, and had
them taken up to his room. There they were cut open,
and the middle of each was found to be filled with silver
bars. He added, " This is the way that a client of mine,
an old-fashioned merchant of Kurdistan, who does not
believe in banks, insists upon insuring the payments
which he has to send me."
When we left the Post we went to the Bazar of the
Gold Workers and Jewellers. It has an air of solemnity
which reminds one of the Bazar of the Booksellers. Its
brick vaults are dark, and the glass show-cases standing
on the tables or on the ground do not present the
glittering spectacle that one would expect in the Land
of Jewels. The reason is that in his cleverness the
Persian jeweller exhibits to the eye of the passer-by only
just enough to make him stop. Then, inviting him in,
if he thinks he will be a good client, he shows him his
finest pieces.
We examined the cases. Here were some pale
turquoises of little value, mounted in silver or tin rings ;

246 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
there were the cheap jewels worn by the women of the
nomad tribes — khalkhal (anklets) of brass, khalkhal of
silver, and bracelets of little blue stones strung together
like beads. I was bargaining for one of those little gold
roses of erratic form worn in the left nostril by women
of the tribes of Arabistan, when I was jostled by a huge
black eunuch, with an emaciated face and a long thin
neck, who was clearing the way for a black phantom —
his mistress — who glided rapidly into the shop, followed
by other phantoms.
That was enough to give me a desire to watch the
lady, and contrive to see her making her purchases, in
the hope that in her excitement she would uncover her
face. Without doubt she was, if not actually a princess,
the wife of some grandee, for only the most important
people have black eunuchs. Directly she came in, the
merchant left me to give her his attention, and his place
was taken by one of his assistants. The erratic gold
roses had lost all their interest in my eyes. It was the
mysterious roses concealed behind the lace of the
princess's rouhband that chained all my attention. Her
passage had left a train of the intoxicating perfume of
tuberoses. It gave quite an atmosphere of spring, which
made me tingle, and this was so apparent that the Mirza
became uneasy. The merchant would have liked me to
go away, that was evident. But all this only increased
my desire to stay, and, putting aside the gold roses, I
said I was looking for very beautiful turquoises to send
to Europe. This mollified the merchant ; he begged me

BAZARS 247
to wait a little, for he was just going to show his best
turquoises to the Khanoum (lady).
I assumed an indifferent air, and looked at the
passers-by. Then, to escape the inquisitive looks of that
terrible eunuch, I shrank behind the Mirza, who, with a
prudence natural to a Persian, was turning his back to
the phantoms.
I engaged him in a conversation on the poets, his
favourite subject, and he began to talk with such an
interest and volubility that even the eunuch was re
assured. But I did not hear a word he was saying, all
my attention was taken up with what was going on in
the back of the shop. I examined with a furtive eye,
over the Mirza's shoulder, the black phantom, who was
just sitting on a carpet specially spread on the ground
for her. Her suite of phantoms remained standing
round her. But my luck did not desert me, for between
two of the dark chaders I could watch "my princess"
without anybody noticing it.
As soon as she had seated herself, tea was brought
to her. She took the cup with a small hand, gloved in
green silk, and with the other, to my stupefaction and
joy, she lifted a corner of her rouhband till I could
perceive, in the frame of the dark silk chader, the most
exquisite face that one could imagine. The pure oval
of her face, the fairness of her skin, with the blood in
her cheeks accentuated by rouge, made me understand
the truth of the Oriental poets' phrase when they compare
a beautiful face to a moon, and by chance the Mirza

248 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
was reciting at this very moment the verse : " And she
discovered her face : it was the moon at the fourteenth
night in the envelopment of clouds chased by the wind."
I was startled. It was just the picture that I had
before my eyes. I barely had time to see her long,
almond-shaped eyes before the rouhband fell down again.
The merchant began by taking out of little bags a few
second-rate stones, to which she did not pay much
attention. Then he opened heavy coffers of cedarwood,
with stout iron bands and huge, mysterious locks. And,
little by little, with a hundred precautions, accompanied
by a hundred little discourses, he laid before her coveting
eyes a hundred temptations, each greater than the last,
in a slow and cunning graduation.
He took great care not to show her at once his
turquoises. He began by amethysts of Mekram ; then
he brought out twisted strings of seed pearls ; then
a gold bracelet, covered with enamels representing
embracing lovers, birds, and flowers. After this came
clasps of emeralds to hold the chargat under the
chin. Then came jikas, flashing with diamonds, sur
mounted by aigrettes, some of feathers, some of gold,
thickly set with gems. The interest of " my princess "
seemed to advance. She sniffed from time to time a
little bouquet of jasmine, but when the merchant
presented to her the superb turquoises of Nishapur, of
a dark and brilliant azure flashing like blue eyes, she
grew excited, and lifted her rouhband a little in order to
examine them more closely, not at all particular about

BAZARS 249
showing her face to the old merchant, who to astonish
her had just been laying out in front of her, on a piece
of black velvet, huge pearls from the Baharein — the
islands in the Persian Gulf from which the finest pearls
of the Orient come — and huge, uncut rubies and sapphires
which he said were from Golconda.
Little by little I had edged the Mirza forward. He
was so absorbed in his poetical recitations that he did
not notice it, and so I was getting quite close to the
Khanoum, when the eunuch, whom I had forgotten,
began to exhibit signs of nervousness. The Mirza
whispered in my ear, " We had better go if we want
to avoid trouble, for I see the eunuch looking at us with
sinister eyes."
I did remark the heavy eyes with their bloodshot
whites of the great negro in the black frock-coat with
gathered skirts, and the wrinkles of his face, which
paleness under the black made greenish. His hanging
under-lip was trembling with rage and uneasiness. He
stepped towards the Mirza and whispered a few words
in his ear. The Mirza became very agitated, and
turned towards me eyes in which I saw such fright
and supplication that I understood the gravity of the
situation, and followed him out of the shop without
a word. Two dismounted horsemen, armed to the teeth, part
of the lady's escort, were waiting at the door — I had
not noticed them before.
At the same moment my princess got up. She had

250 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
not made up her mind about her purchases. It is not
usual in the East to settle anything all at once. As she
passed me her little jasmine bouquet fell at my feet.
The phantoms swept on, and when I had picked up
the jasmine, unnoticed by the bowing jewellers, I
watched these dark clouds, which concealed "a moon
at its fourteenth night," slowly melting in the distance.

CHAPTER XXVI
BAZARS— IV
THE CARPET BAZAR
The bazar into which one goes oftenest in Persia is
the Bazar of Carpets. This suggests much to the
European mind, which at once thinks of a vast display
of rich hangings and gorgeous colours. In Persia
one sees nothing of the kind. The carpets are all piled
up, one over the other, and when you want to buy a
carpet the men of the shop pull them out one after
the other in front of you, and build them into fresh
piles on the opposite side. It is very difficult t© make
up your mind, for you never see more than two dis
played at the same time. It takes a very long time ;
for, carrying in your head as well as you can the
remembrance of those you like best, you are always
having another one pulled out, and before you manage
to get the three or four you really like best all
shown at the same time, several hours will have gone,
and pounds of dust, coming from all parts of Persia,
will have been swallowed. However, you need not
regret the time expended, so many precious articles
261

252 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
will have been exhibited before you, each more beautiful
than the other.
The first carpet that struck me was one from
Kerman, woven with extraordinary fineness. Its pattern
represented a tree on which parrots in great profusion
and every attitude ate extraordinary fruits. Under that
tree, which took up nearly all the carpet, were some
very small gazelles, a quarter of the size of the parrots,
and round it was a very delicately drawn border. The
next carpet was from Turkestan. On a background
of Venetian red, dark blue geometrical drawings were
repeated at regular intervals. But this one, which was
made of very good material, had a hideous design. It
was a bad copy of the Early Victorian carpet, represent
ing a tiger eating an apple under a rosebush. Then
the merchant brought out a beautiful dark blue carpet,
decorated with narcissi, tulips, and hyacinths, white,
red, yellow, and green, of a pre-Raphaelite pattern,
which came from Kurdistan. It was an old one, they
are not made any more.
Directly after this he showed me a carpet with
a regular pattern of henna flowers, which was the
modern representative of the same school. The next,
of the same pattern, but with very crude colours,
showed that in spite of the new laws forbidding
aniline colours, these chemical dyes are spoiling the
manufacture bf modern carpets. Happily this was the
exception, and it is to be hoped that the laws by
which aniline dyes have recently been prohibited from

BAZARS 253
entering Persia will be enforced with Draconian
severity. After many notable examples from Feraghan,
Khorassan, Turkestan, Khoi, and Daghestan, I was
shown one very curious carpet, with a white back
ground, on which was drawn with black lines an
Assyrian king with wings, copied from the bas-reliefs
of Persepolis. His name, Nebuchadnezzar, was written
under it in Roman letters. I regretted to see such
good work and such fine materials wasted on such a
miracle of bad taste. It was executed in one of the
best workshops of Kerman.
Silk carpets are very much appreciated in Persia.
They are generally of the type of prayer carpets, re
presenting two columns, a vault, and in the middle a
mosque lamp hanging down. Another usual pattern
for the silk carpets is a vase of flowers with birds.
The Persian weavers receive orders, especially from
Cairo, for very large silk carpets.
The wily Persian has discovered the secret of making
new carpets look ancient. He smokes them over a
fire made with special herbs, and this gives the carpet
a used appearance and fades the colours. It is nearly
impossible, when this is well done, to distinguish between
a genuine antique and a forgery.
A commoner way of ageing a carpet (very common
in the bazars) is to spread it out on the street, in
order that every passer-by and animal may trample
on it.

254 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
In Tabriz, an Englishman, Mr. Stevens, conceived
the happy idea of starting a carpet-weaving industry,
where only old patterns are made. He tries to revive
the old traditions, and has succeeded very well. I
went to see his workrooms in the bazars. They
were established in a large sort of shed with mud
walls and roof, lighted by mere holes of windows and
skylights. The weaving was done on old-fashioned
hand-looms, some of them eight or ten feet high.
Little boys of ten to twelve were perched on planks
in front of the looms ; a man, holding in his hand
the pattern of the carpet with all the colours marked
in squares, like our Berlin woolwork patterns, sang
to a popular tune the number and the colour of each
thread — one blue, two red, one yellow, etc. — which
was repeated in chorus by all the little boys, and ac
companied by the noise of the bobbins which go through
the warp threads, and the rhythmical swish with which
the boys cut the thread after making the little
knots. These little apprentices, dressed in a variety of
colours, perched on their planks and singing at the
tops of their voices, were like love-birds sitting on a
branch. Interesting as it all was, the Mirza and I were
tired out before we made our escape, and nearly
smothered by the dust we had to swallow. Orientals
have no notion of terminating. Besides, I could feel
in my pocket that little jasmine bouquet I had picked

Carpet weaving in the Bazar.

BAZARS 255
up the day before, and I was burning to get to the
Bazar of the Jewellers. But I did not want to tell
the Mirza my intention, so I pretended that I wished
to go to the Bazar of Arms and Antiquities, which
is next to it.
Then, as we passed the Bazar of the Jewellers, I
mentioned, in an off-hand way, that the little incident
of yesterday had prevented my seeing the turquoises,
and suggested that we should go in and look at them
now. On entering the shop, my heart beat a little faster
when I noticed, sitting in the very same place, several
phantoms. But to-day there was no eunuch, no armed
horsemen outside. Surely it could not be "my
princess " !
" Show me those turquoises ! " I cried to the
merchant, in a brusque and offended sort of way, for
I felt a little disappointed and nervous. At the noise
of my voice the phantoms turned towards me, but
the rouhbands remained impenetrable. The turquoises
were brought by an assistant, and whilst I was examining
them I noticed that the seated Khanoum turned her
head my way very often. I glanced at her inquisitively,
and took the jasmine from my pocket. She found that
her rouhband required arranging, and in the process
managed to slip aside just enough to let me recognise
" my princess " of yesterday, smiling engagingly. But
the rouhband fell very quickly, for at that moment the
repulsive visage of the eunuch darkened the doorway.

256 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
She got up and left the shop before I had time to
think of anything. And I forgot all about the
turquoises, and went off without saying a word to
the astonished jeweller.
It was now sunset — the Muezzin was summoning
the faithful to prayer ; the bazars emptied rapidly, for
it was time for the gates to be locked for the night.
The gates are very massive, and have such huge locks
that they are quite a strain on the strength of the
gatekeeper. There is a Sar-ghasmeh, or watchman, at
the head of each alley, to look after the security of
the goods.
When they catch a thief they take him direct to
the Shahshan Bazar, where there is a special prison,
in which also any merchant who has been caught
cheating is brought before a judge. The cases are
tried instantly, and the punishment is carried out on
the spot. It may be bastinado on the soles of the
feet, or, in the case of a merchant caught cheating
with weights or selling adulterated things, he may be
nailed by the ear to the doorpost of his shop, so that
all his customers may enjoy his shame. Or he may
have a ring put through his nose and be led through
the bazar by a string. There is also a post like our
old-fashioned pillory to which he may be nailed or
bound. The inspectors of weights and measures adopt all
sorts of disguises and expedients to carry on their
business without being recognised. They even dress

A Persian Tradesman.

BAZARS 257
up as old women, who are of all human beings the
most likely to be cheated. Suddenly from the rouhband
appears a beard, and the unfortunate transgressor is
apprehended by ferrashes, running up at the inspector's
signal, and taken to the bastinado.

17

CHAPTER XXVII
BAZARS— V
THE BAZAR OF STUFFS : THE BAZAR OF ARMS AND
ANTIQUES : THE BAZAR OF GRAIN AND FLOUR AND
GROCERIES : THE SHAH IN THE BAZAR
One day when we were passing in front of Shems-el-
Emaret, one of, the palaces of the Shah, we saw the
famous Persian wrestlers. This is a much-patronised
profession. The wrestlers use dumb-bells shaped like
big bottles, and do gymnastics as well as wrestle,
naked except for their running drawers. The people
make a ring round them, and the women of the Shah's
harem watch them from behind green tile Mousharabiehs
in the towers of the Shems-el-Emaret After having
watched for a moment this wrestling of the Pahlavans,
we entered the bazar.
On the left are to be found the stalls of the seal-
cutters. They are very much frequented, for seals
are constantly used in Persia by everybody. The
seal takes the place occupied by the signature in
Europe, and as there are so many people in Persia
who cannot write, it is a great convenience. I entered

BAZARS 259
a shop, and chose a little round silver seal, a small
pyramidal affair, with a turquoise let into the side
which is to come uppermost on the letter. This is
to avoid a waste of time, as the characters are mixed
together in elegant curves, and the empty places between
them are filled with little flowers and designs.
From there we walked to the Bazar of Stuffs. On
our way we were stopped by a band of loutis — the
street arabs of Teheran, who asked us to see a per
formance of monkeys. Like the lazzaroni of Naples,
they spend the greatest part of their time in lying
about in the sun, and the rest in doing mischief.
They gamble, they rob, they kill — sometimes for hire,
since for them any way of making money is good, so
long as they make enough to buy the forbidden arrack
and to lose at their gambling. They are also jugglers ;
they have monkeys and bears, and sometimes panthers
and even lions tamed, which they lead about the streets
with a string. Their life of adventure and of constant
struggle makes them great characters. Some in order
to show their daring, attack and rob passers-by in broad
daylight ; and some, in certain towns of the north of
Persia, have established a reign of terror. The police
keep an eye upon them. But sometimes it is a sym
pathetic eye, if the louti share with them their plunder.
We entered the Bazar of Stuffs just at the busiest
moment It was crowded with "phantoms." We
stopped at a shop whose owner looked more than
usually prepossessing. With profound salaams he

260 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
invited us to enter his shop. Tea was brought, and
all sorts of precious stuffs were taken out of cup
boards. The merchant first produced gouldouzis of
Resht : stuffs embroidered with flowers and all manner
of designs. Then he brought out velvets of Kachan
something like Genoa velvets, embroideries of Ispahan
and of Bokhara — which last have generally a pattern
of green leaves with round red flowers — tissues of silk
embroidered with gold palms, made by the Parsee
women, called Gabr (our Gebir) in Persia.
I bargained for a delicate muslin of Kerman, spangled
with gold embroideries. But the man asked a ridiculous
price, and refused to come down from it. The reason
he gave was that it had been worked specially for the
wedding of the daughter of Nasr-ed-din Shah and
Zehir-ed-Dowleh, upon which I thought it was best
to go no further, for some day he would forget what
he had told me, and tell me something else, and then
I could put "his nose in his dirt," as they say in
Persia, The Persian excels all other Orientals in the number
of times which he multiplies the price that he intends to
take. It is a safe rule not to pay more than the quarter
of what he asks. In Persia, if, from a misunderstanding
of the price named, you offer the merchant more than he
has asked, instead of taking you at your word and ac
cepting quickly before you have time to realise your
mistake, he will double or treble what he asked first,
and will rather risk not selling the article than lose the

BAZARS 261
chance that you have given him of making a rare
bargain. Then I looked at a very remarkable old embroidery
of blue silk on a background of cream satin, which was a
good deal worn. I looked at it only with a corner of
my eye, in order not to show the merchant that I was
interested in it, and, taking hold of a rather cheap new
embroidery, I asked the price, which of course he in
stantly quadrupled. I offered half of it, if he would
throw something else in — for example, that old thing
which is not worth three shahis (three farthings). He
smiled at my simplicity, and pushed them both towards
me. He had done me on the one thing which had
no value, and I had done him right in the eye on
the other, which I discovered afterwards to be a very
valuable fourteenth-century embroidery. Whilst I was
leaving his shop, I heard him mumbling the Persian
proverb : " Hast thou a jewel — take it to the jeweller :
take care not to offer a jewel to the first donkey which
passes — the donkey only wants thistles, and thou offerest
him a jewel. To the donkey one thistle is better than
two hundred ass-loads of jewels."
With my bargain under my arm, I walked away,
followed by the Mirza, who had kept discreetly silent.
He could not understand my elation, because, like most
Persians, he did not know the difference between valuable
old things and old rubbish. In Persia old things (Kadim)
have no value except for selling to Europeans. The
Persian knows that Europeans are fond of old things,

262 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
and one day will bring him mere rags, and another day
a rare mediaeval curio. Still he was quite sharp enough
to see that I had a bargain, and said, " You are lucky ;
every time you pick up a stone it becomes gold."
Then we suddenly came upon a most beautiful arch
way with a sort of apse in it, filled with rich pendentives
of marvellously durable white stucco : the walls below
the vault had glorious old turquoise-coloured tiles — the
upper part of which had an inscription from the Koran
in white characters running all round it in a broad belt ;
and the under part, by the low, arched doorway, was
decorated with a wonderful design of a pot of branching
flowers. Across the door was a wooden screen, carried
down to the height of a man, like the door of a loose box,
with the upper part closed. Below these tiles was a
stone bench, on which pious people were seated, waiting
for the hour of prayer. It was the entrance to the
Meder-i-Shah Mosque.
This led the Mirza to look at his watch. The dial
was, of course, marked in the Oriental way. He told me
that he used to wind it at sunset, and that as the days
grew longer or shorter he had to move the hands every
day. This is to indicate the times of prayer, in order
that on the days without sun the Persians may be able to
know the time of Talou-aftab (sunrise), Zokr (noon),
Assr (the afternoon hour), and Moghreb (sunset), which
are the times of prayer. The fifth prayer-time is in the
night, the A'cha.
We were soon at the Tea and Groceries Bazar — tea

Portal of the Meder-i.Shah Mosque.

BAZARS 263
being the favourite drink of Persians, is sold in large
quantities. A great deal of it comes from India and
China, and some is grown in the Caucasus. China tea
comes through Russia by caravans along the great
Russo- Mongolian trade route.
It was to buy henna that I visited this bazar : a lady
friend of mine in Europe had asked me to send her
some genuine Persian henna. The best is grown near
Kerman. The dried leaves of this plant are pounded in
a mortar till they are reduced to a powder. This powder
is steeped in hot water and stirred with the hand till it
becomes as thick as soup, and is then applied to the roots
of the hair. A piece of paper is then laid on the head,
over which a cloth is tightly bound. The Persians keep
this on all the night long, though two or three hours
would have been sufficient. The Persian women stain
the whole of their hands and their feet, because it is so
good for the skin. The men only dye their nails, as an
ornament. The colour that the henna gives to the skin
or the hair is a ruddy brown, and to dye the hair or
beard black they use after the henna vesmeh (indigo)
prepared in the same way as the henna. Half an hour
after the application of the vesmeh they wash the hair
with pure water, which leaves it a fine blue-black.
These dyes are not at all injurious, but, on the
contrary, preserve the hair and stimulate its growth,
and they are not expensive, because each dyeing may
last six weeks or two months; and for a woman who
has luxuriant hair, forty miskals of henna — under half a

264 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
pound, which costs about threepence — is sufficient. Add
a penny for the vesmeh, and you have the total cost.
In that bazar also are sold cosmetics and the kohl
for the eyes, and drugs and medicinal herbs.
There we found also the kat, which is a low shrub
growing in Yemen and in Abyssinia ; the green leaves
when fresh have the property of giving insomnia without
causing any fatigue, and the inhabitants of these countries
who make use of it, instead of suffering by it live to a
great age. It does not produce much effect in Persia,
because it never gets there till ' all the leaves are dry.
However, it is used during the Ramadan to enable
the partaker to keep awake during the night, When he
may eat and drink and smoke, and go to sleep during
the day while he has to fast.
On our way home we passed through the Bazar of
Arms and Antiques, which is one of the most fascinating
to the European. Although it has been said that all the
interesting things in Persia have been bought up and ex
ported, it is possible still to find good pieces here. There
are, for instance, old scimitars, with their hilts encrusted
with turquoises and garnets, whose ivory scabbards are
magnificently carved, battle-axes, maces, shields, body
armour, and helmets of steel, damascened with gold.
One has, however, to be very careful about the last,
because there is a brisk manufacture of imitations in
Ispahan, and one must not forget the Persian saying,
"Everything that is round is not a nut," i.e. "All that
glitters is not gold."

M.E.C. Collection. From the Bazar of Antiquities at Teheran.

BAZARS 265
In this bazar I bought a very fine inlaid saddle, with
the pummel in front of carved ivory, decorated with
little stars of the Persian inlaying called Khatem.
There is a lot of fine brassware, such as ewers,
mosque lamps, and trays, besides the little things which
are made on purpose for the European market, like
match-boxes and the small open-work plates, whose use
I was never able to discover.
A little farther on was a shop where they sold
porcelain ; where amongst horrible modern Russian
things, which had no other title to be Kadim except
their battered condition, could be found some beautiful
china and the unique tiles of rich metallic lustre whose
manufacture is a lost art. These fetch a very high
price in the market of Teheran ; a piece no bigger than
a prayer-book may be worth twenty pounds. Especially
charming were the tall porcelain flasks, almost the shape
of an Italian wine-flask, used for scent, holding a pint
or less, some of course quite tiny. The old porcelain
tea-caddies which you may find in this bazar are almost
unique. They are shaped like our old-fashioned silver
tea-caddies. But the strangest discovery that I made was a very
fine eighteenth -century Sevres cup, lost among very
ordinary tea-things, which I bought for sixpence. It
was certainly the survival of a present sent by some
King of France to the sovereign of Persia in his day.
All sorts of things can be found in that bazar.
Coins are always attractive to Europeans — for one

266 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
thing, it is difficult to have too many to put into your
portmanteau. Here also you have to be especially
careful, for from one genuine coin you may manufacture
thousands by moulding! This is why you are always
sure to find the huge silver coin, like a five-shilling piece,
of Alexander the Great, which has a head with a casque
and a strikingly handsome profile.
There are many imitations of Greek and Roman
coins, because so many genuine ones are found in Persia
— sometimes you hit upon a genuine one by mistake.
The old Sassanian coinage and more recent Persian
issues are to be found in quantities.
Bled as you may be by the merchants, you are never
likely to suffer as his faithful lieges suffer at the hands
of the Shah, when, walking into the bazar with a
numerous suite, he selects a shop which has the appear
ance of being well filled with the most valuable kinds of
merchandise. He enters it, and offers the merchant to go into
partnership with him — an offer which is always accepted
with enthusiasm, for the Shahin-Shah sets up an
auction, and the courtiers run the price up and struggle
to curry favour with him, so that a thing which is worth
one shilling may be sold for twenty pounds, and it has
to be paid cash down, for, as the Persian proverb says,
" A box on the ear in cash is better than the promise
of sweatmeats," which is much stronger than our "A
bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."
When everything is sold, the Shah makes up the

BAZARS 267
accounts with his temporary partner, who is delighted
at such a windfall ; and the Shah, equally delighted to
have made a little ready money, goes back to his
palace cheered by the populace, and conscious of well
doing. The Shah's success as a merchant shows that the
proverb which says that " One cannot hold two water
melons in one hand " does not always hold good.

CHAPTER XXVIII

RELIGIONS

Persia is prolific in religions. To name only the most
important, we have to begin with the oldest, the
Zoroastrian, which is now represented by the Gabr, or
Parsees. Small communities of them are scattered in
certain provinces. They are persecuted, and have none
of the wealth and influence enjoyed by the Parsees of
Bombay. In Teheran they are all gardeners. There
are a fair number of Jews, all engaged in trade.
Next to them in the matter of their antiquity are
certain Christian sects — the Nestorians, Armenians, and
Chaldeans, who were in Persia before the Mahometan
conquest They are not very numerous or very important
except from the antiquarian point of view. It may be
mentioned that they furnish the converts |of the various
Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox missions.
Third in point of antiquity, but far the most important,
are the Mohammedans, who are in Persia mostly Shiites,
though there are also many Sunnites, especially in the
western and northern provinces. Many schisms have
divided the Mohammedans — for instance, Sufism, Ali-
Oullaism, Ismailism, and lately Babism.

RELIGIONS 269
The State religion is Shiite Mahometanism.
Religion is too solemn a subject to be introduced
much into " Queer Things about Persia," though it is
queer enough, in all conscience, in the land of the Shah ;
but there are certain peculiarities in connection with
the Shiite Mahometanism which have a spectacular
interest that brings them within the scope of this
book : for example, the religious theatres and proces
sions. The Shiites assumed at first the name of " Friends of
the people of the Prophet's House." One of the features
of their religion is the quasi-adoration which is accorded
to Ali. Ali is the heir of the temporal goods of the Prophet,
the legitimate successor to the throne, and above all
he is associated in the revelation. He is, in the eyes
of the Persians, the depositary of the secrets of God.
Ali, nephew and son-in-law of the Prophet, had nine
wives, fifteen sons, and nineteen daughters.
Abou-Bekr, Omar, Osman, who were Caliphs after
the death of Mahomet, are considered as usurpers,
blasphemers, and sacrilegious persons, and they are
hated. The Shiites have not even hesitated to add to the
profession of faith given by the Prophet, " There is no
God but God, and Mahomet is his prophet" the words,
"and Ali is his Vali (lieutenant)." The Prophet himself
takes the second place in their creed, and the most
childish tales are reported quite seriously by good

270 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
historians about the beloved Ali. For example, the
following story told by Ammar Yacer : 1 —
" Ali departed from Kufa one day to go to Babel upon
very important business. He was so busy there that he
had no time to say his prayers. The sun was setting
when a young man cried to him, " O Ali, hear my prayer
and pity me ! Alas, my wife and my children are dying
with hunger. I had a field whose products gave us our
subsistence, but for three years past a monstrous lion
has settled on my property, and nobody dares enter to
cultivate it."
Then Ali turned towards me, and said, " O Ammar,
go thou with that young man, and when he has shown
thee the lion, present to it this ring, and say, ' O Lion,
Ali orders thee to leave this spot ! ' " I remained much
perplexed, for though I was frightened of the lion, I
was still more frightened of the Prince of the Believers.
But at last, feeling bound to obey, I committed myself
to the mercy of God, and went. When we got to his
estate, the young man climbed upon a tree, and,
trembling, pointed out to me a little knoll, and told
me that the lion was behind it I advanced, and saw
a lion as big as a buffalo. I felt fear seizing me,
especially when the lion, after having looked at me,
sprang towards me, roaring terribly. I held out the
ring to him, and recited the orders of Ali. I had
hardly finished when the lion bowed down in the
dust, and then, getting up, went away. I was much
1 Translated from the Zinnet-el-Medjalis by A. L. M. Nicolas.

RELIGIONS 271
astonished at it all, and thought that some magic had
been performed, but I quickly repented of such an
unworthy thought.
When I returned to Ali the sun was just disappear
ing behind the horizon. Ali, raising his hands towards
the sky, made a sign, and the orb of day retraced his
steps obediently, and put himself at the spot he should
occupy at the moment of the prayer.
Ali then made that prayer which he had no time
to do till then, and when it was finished, he turned
towards me and said, "O Ammar, if what thou hast
seen about the lion was an illusion of magic, what
wilt thou say of the obedience of the sun to my
orders ? "
There are a quantity of stories of this order told and
believed by the majority of Shiites.
Their love for Ali is balanced by their hatred for
Omar, the second Caliph, whom they abhor more than
Christians hate Judas Iscariot Curses for Omar are
constantly on the lips of the Persians. One wonders
why ; is it because he conquered Persia ? Very few
Persians remember that. And at the same time it
may be said that it is thanks to Omar that they were
led to the true faith.
But logic has nothing to do with these matters.
This hatred of Omar has given rise to as many
legends as the love of Ali. Here is one of the most
extraordinary : —
One day Omar's wife was washing the linen of the

272 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
house. She prayed her husband to fetch some water
at the spring not far from there. He took a pitcher,
and went to the spring. At that moment he was
transformed into a female dog. The street boys who
saw him in this new shape threw stones at him, and
he fled barking. He lived in this condition for seven
years in the midst of his brother dogs, and fulfilled
all the natural functions of his new state. One day
he came across the spot where he had been drawing
the water ; he was followed by six little puppies that
were his offspring, when suddenly he recovered his
natural form. He took the pitcher that he found at
the spot where he had left it, and, being uncertain as
to the reception which awaited him, proceeded very
slowly to his house.
He found his wife still washing, and as he made his
excuses fof having been so long, she said, " But you
have not taken more time than was necessary to go
from the house to the spring and back."
Stupefied, and not knowing what to think, Omar
reflected for a long time, and ended by convincing
himself that he had been the victim of a hallucination.
When he got rid of his disquietude, he went to the
mosque, where, as was the custom, he found the Prophet
seated in the midst of his companions. He saluted
them, and took his place in the circle. They were
talking, when suddenly six little puppies, walking with
difficulty, entered the gate of the mosque. Omar
grew pale. The companions of the Prophet, indignant

RELIGIONS 273
at the intrusion, sprang up to chase these unclean little
animals out of the mosque.
" Let them be," said the Prophet, "and we shall see
what they will do."
Slowly, and with uncertain paces, the little animals
made their way to Omar, shamed out of countenance.
When they came near him, they uttered squeals of joy,
and crawled over his chest to look for the milk which
they were accustomed to find there. The wretched
man threw himself at the feet of the Prophet, who,
thinking the punishment was sufficient, made a sign,
and the puppies disappeared.
All possible means of dishonouring the memory of
Omar are employed. Some carpet-makers have woven
the name of Omar in their carpets unnoticed, in order
that it may be trampled on by the True Believers.
Other people have it tattooed upon the soles of their
feet. The following are the events which led up to the
schism of Persia and the foundation of the Shiite
sect. Ali, nephew and son-in-law of the Prophet, was a
man of the most chivalrous and devoted nature, but
he managed to have some powerful enemies, amongst
whom was the all-powerful daughter of Abou-bekr,
Ayesha, the only wife of Mahomet that had not been
married before. He made an enemy of her in this way.
She was the youngest and most beautiful of the
18

274 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
wives of the Prophet. She was accused on one occa
sion of having committed adultery with Sawan, who
commanded the rear-guard of the army of Mahomet.
In the Sonna or Book of the Traditions she herself
tells the following story in the following manner : —
Every time that the Prophet went away on an
expedition, he cast lots to see which of his wives he
should take with him. When a new war was announced
to us, our hearts were beating with hope or fear. The
decision of the lots had been that time in my favour.
The Apostle of God covered me with a veil, and I
went in his train on a camel, according to the custom
of women, concealed from sight by the hangings of my
litter as if I had been under a tent.
When the expedition was finished, the signal of
departure was given, and the army marched back
towards Mecca.
I was obliged to dismount from my camel. My
litter was taken off its back for the purpose. I waited
until the troops had departed before I thought of mount
ing again. I discovered then that I had lost my
necklace, and retraced my steps to the spot where I
had been resting. I was a long time looking about
for it, and meanwhile some soldiers passing near my
litter lifted it up and put it on the camel again, believing
that I was in it. They were not surprised at its light
ness, attributing it to the care women take not to burden
themselves with much baggage in such travels, and to
my great youth — for I was then only fifteen. My

RELIGIONS 275
attendants could not guess my absence, and drove my
camel off without me.
When I had found my necklace, I returned in glee
to the spot where I had left my litter. There was not a
soul there. I called out, but there was no answer. I
filled the air with my shrieks : they were not heard. I
hoped that my absence would be noticed and someone
would return to fetch me, but my hopes were dashed.
Weary with calling out and waiting, I sat down, and
slumber overtook me. Sawam, who shared my unhappi-
ness, had remained with the rear-guard : he passed in
the early morning the place where I was reposing.
Seeing me without a veil, he recognised me. I woke
at hearing his voice. "We are the Sons of God," he
said, "and we return to him."
I call Heaven to witness that he did not say anything
else. I covered myself with my veil. He had his camel
brought up and helped me to mount, and led it by the
bridle till we rejoined the main body.
Ayesha pleaded her cause before her husband, her
father, and her mother. She was young, beautiful, and
eloquent, and succeeded. Mahomet, who loved her
tenderly, was delighted to find her innocent, and in order
not to let any doubt rest on her conduct, no cloud darken
her reputation, he called down from heaven the twenty-
fourth chapter of the Koran, which justifies her
completely. " When you heard the accusations, the faithful of the
two sexes have not they thought privately what was right

276 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
to believe ? Have they not said that it was an impudent
lie ? If divine mercy and goodness had not kept an eye
on you, this lie would have brought upon your heads a
terrible chastisement. It has run from mouth to mouth.
You have repeated that of which you were ignorant, and
you have regarded a calumny as a venial fault, while it is
a crime in the eyes of the eternal."
All the accusers of Ayesha were punished — with
eighty strokes of a whip. Ali, consulted by Mahomet in
that delicate affair, had counselled him to interrogate the
maid of Ayesha. The young wife did not forget this
counsel, and owing to that she intrigued against his
succession to the Caliphate.
In spite of the chances he had of getting the Cali
phate, his enemies succeeded in putting him aside, and
Abou-bekr, Omar, and Osman were Caliphs before him.
He then became Caliph for four years, and was murdered
in the mosque of Kufa.
Yezid seized the Caliphate. But one of the sons of
Ali, Houssein, had married the daughter of the last king
of the Sassanian dynasty of Persia, Yezdejerd. He lived
in Medina with his brother Hassan, his sister Zeyneb,
and the children of these two, all that remained of the
blood of the Prophet.
When Ali was dead, his partisans persuaded Hous
sein that his duty was to take the Caliphate, and little by
little he was driven into a sort of conspiracy. The
inhabitants of Kufa, penitent for the crime that had
been committed in their mosque against Ali, made

RELIGIONS 277
him promises of help, undertaking to proclaim him
Caliph. Houssein, believing in these promises, left Medina
and his brother Hassan, and went with all his family to
Kufa. This caravan formed what the Persians call the
People of the Tent. But Yezid sent some cavalry in
pursuit of him, who surrounded the camp of Houssein in
the desert, a short distance from the Tigris, in the plain
of Kerbela. At first the soldiers feared to commit sacrilege by
killing more people of the blood of the Prophet. But the
orders of the Caliph were decisive. They then tried to
make them die of thirst. No one was allowed to come
out of their tents, which were filled with children and
women in far greater proportion than men. They were
altogether about eighty. The heat was insupportable, and
the water soon gave out. Imam Abbas was the first to
sally out towards the river to get some water.
He took a water-skin, mounted his horse, but was
stopped by the blockaders. An Arab soldier cut off his
right hand : he took the skin in his mouth to leave his left
hand free for the scimitar, and again made for the enemy.
His other hand was hewn off, and at the same moment
several weapons pierced him, and he fell dead.
The second martyr was Ali Akbar, little more than
a child, who tried to get to the river, but met with the
same fate. All the People of the Tent died in this way,
one after the other, by most tragic and horrible deaths.

278 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
To their adoration for Ali the Shiites add the cult of
the Imams, who are twelve in number — except among
one sect, which recognises only seven.
The twelfth Imam, the Imam Mehdi, or Mahdi, is
supposed to be still living, but concealed. He travels
through the world, and it is supposed to be known exactly
and every day in what direction his envoys are to be
found. In the Persian calendar can be read the follow
ing :—
"Those among the chosen slaves elected that are
called Abdal or Rijal-oul-Keib, or else the Companions
of His Highness the Master of the Order, Imam Mehdi,
are to be found on four days every month, on one of the
spots of the world, and spread their blessings upon the
creatures. " The morning when one leaves the house, or begins
to work, he must pay attention to which side they are.
Then he must make the appointed prayer."
Then comes the following notice, indicating on what
days they will be in each quarter : " The first, the ninth,
artd the seventeenth of each month, these blessed beings
are in the east. On the second, tenth, eighteenth, twenty-
sixth, they are between the east and the north. On the
third, eleventh, nineteenth, twenty-seventh, they are in
the north." And so on.
These personages are constantly moving with a
stupefying rapidity. They travel on horseback, some
times with their master, the Imam Mehdi ; and sometimes

RELIGIONS 279
when they meet men they allow themselves to be seen,
converse, and work miracles.
These apparitions take the place in Persia which the
apparitions of Our Lady and the Saints hold in Roman
Catholic countries. There used to be a miracle also
corresponding to the Liquefaction of the Blood of St.
Januarius at Naples. It was a tree bleeding during the
first days of Moharrem every year, and a quantity of
pilgrims used to go there.
It is the Imam Mehdi who will reappear one day and
wipe from the surface of the earth all the unbelievers.
He is the " man " of the Last Judgment
In fact the Shiites believe that there will be two last
judgments, because Islam being the religion of God, it is
not admissible that it should not reign all over the world.
It is, from the Mussulman point of view, very simple :
Mahomet has placed his own family on the same rank as
the Koran. This family alone, therefore, possesses the
complete and absolute knowledge. And this is exactly
what happens with Ali and the twelve Imams. The last
of these twelve has disappeared, and hence the gate of
knowledge has been shut, and the Shiite religion has
ceased to be spread through humanity. As divine know
ledge has not been completely unveiled to the eyes of the
world, there is nothing extraordinary in the fact that a
part of the world remains " unfaithful." Only the elect
of God, His beloved people, those upon whom He has
poured His blessing, become Mussulmans.
The missing Imam will reappear : it is he who will

280 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
unveil the last mysteries. He is in that sense the proof
of God ; the light that he will spread will be so blinding
that only those whose heart is made hard by the devil
will not see it
The surface of the world will then be inhabited by
Mussulmans only, It is for them that will shine the
second day of the Last Judgment, when everybody will
receive the recompense and the chastisement that is due
to them. The unfaithful will have nothing to see in it,
for from the apparition of the Imam they will have been
definitely condemned, and none will remain on the face
of the earth.

CHAPTER XXIX
RELIGIOUS PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES — THE
PERSIAN OBERAMMERGAU
Religious processions are striking in all countries,
but especially in Persia, for, in remembrance of the
sufferings of their saints, the Persians love to lacerate
their bodies.
The month of Moharrem is their Month of Mourning.
It is during that month that Imam Houssein, the son
of Ali, was assassinated in the desert near Kerbela by
the men of the Caliph Ye*zid.
At the first moon of that month all the Mussulmans
put on mourning — they dress in black, leave their shirts
open on their chests (regardless of the season ; and as
the Persians use lunar months, it may be hot or cold),
and strike professionally mournful attitudes. Some of
the men of the people meet in congregations, go to the
mosques, and walk in the streets preceded by a Mollah,
singing in a monotonous tone sentences like this :
Houssein Kafan-na-dared — i.e. Houssein has no winding-
sheet — whilst they beat their bare chests, rhythmically
flinging out their arms to their full length. They beat
themselves so fiercely and at the same time that it makes

282 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
a rolling like a band of drums. Fanaticism is at its
zenith, and it is advisable for a European, if he sees
such a procession approaching, to make himself scarce.
It is during this month that the only theatrical
performances of Persia take place. They are called
Tazieh, and the place where they are performed is
called Tekieh. There are two or three special theatres
for this in Teheran, the largest is the Tekieh in the
palace, which was built by Nasr-ed-din, but can no
longer be used because people are afraid of its coming
down (it is cracked). I have been to several of these
sacred dramas with the Mirza.
They are performed in the courtyards of the houses
of the rich, who consider it a meritorious act to lend
them for the purpose without charge.
One of the best I went to was at the house of one
of the Ministers. The courtyard was covered over with
an awning, and the tank, which is in the middle of every
Persian courtyard, was planked over to make the sakou
or stage. The neighbours as a meritorious act had lent
all their pictures, carpets, curtains, mirrors, lustres, and
lamps to ornament the Tekieh. Even the poor had
participated in these offerings, by lending small things
without value.
The lamps and lustres were the feature of the
performance. The whole of one side of the courtyard
was filled up with wooden shelves for the accommodation
of these and glass vases filled with flowers, behind which
the pictures and the mirrors had been placed.

^ Y3£ .**>

3. ¦*£***

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 283
The effect might have been very beautiful if all
these crystal ornaments were not in such shocking taste.
It was, anyhow, very curious.
There was a sort of tribune covered with cashmere
shawls erected on one side, on which the chief reciting
Mollah stood.
Everybody, from the prince to the beggar, is admitted
free of cost. Carpets were spread all over the courtyard.
The women sat on one side carefully covered with their
chader and rouhband. With them might be seen very
small girls with uncovered faces.
The other side was occupied by the men, and round
the stage a space was left clear.
The master of the house and his guests, amongst
whom we were accommodated, were seated at the
windows all round — for all the windows in a Persian
house look out on the courtyard. They are wide
open. Their sashes push up like those of English
windows. Curiously enough, in spite of the fanaticism of the
Mahometan Persians, Europeans are invited to be
present at these religious dramas. It might not be
advisable for them to be in the crowd, but they may
be standing at a window ; and for some reason — probably
the sacredness of hospitality — their presence does not
provoke overt fanaticism, though the lower classes look
at them with anything but friendly eyes.
Over the sill of the windows rich carpets were spread
and vases of flowers were to be seen everywhere.

284 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
These representations take place in the afternoon
every day, and sometimes at night also.
They are a sort of manifestation of the Persian
patriotism in which the Shiites show their hatred against
the Sunnite Arabians and Turks, a hatred that the
Shahs and the clergy have encouraged in order to cut
off Persia completely from the influence of the Com
mander of the Faithful at Constantinople.
It is with this same idea, and to form a check to
the pilgrimage to Mecca, where lies the tomb of the
Prophet, that the sovereigns of Persia have created
Meshed, in collusion with the Persian priesthood, who
saw a great advantage in it, and go there in great
pomp. The plays performed do not bear the name of any
author, and generally they have several authors, for the
passages which are unsuccessful are cut out and replaced
by fresh passages from other pieces which have made
a great impression. It would therefore be nearly impos
sible to identify the authorship of these hybrid works.
The actors who take part in them, though these
representations are regarded with disapproval by the
high clergy, enjoy, nevertheless, a good deal of con
sideration. It is not for nothing that they personify the
sacred personages who are dearest to the Persian heart
They associate themselves in companies of men and
boys, under the direction of a chief called Oustad or
master, a sort of stage manager, who presides over the
performance, gives orders to the actors, hands to them

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 285
the stage properties, and stirs them up when they lack
fire. He also tells the audience where the scene is
laid — because, of course, scenery would be impossible
on a stage surrounded by the audience. In brief, he is
the deus ex machina of the Taziek.
Like his colleagues of Europe, he does all he can
to get a star for his company, and Mirza Ali Akbar
assured me that this one had a star of the first order.
The afternoon representation was about to begin,
the programme being " Kassem's Marriage," one of the
most popular subjects. The Tekieh was filled with a
motley crowd, the rich next to the poor, the thief next
to the policeman ; and all one side of the court presented
the aspect of a field of black gourds leaning one against
the other — it was the side of the fair sex.
The trumpets, the drums, and the Kernas, the long
horns used from time immemorial to salute the sun,
brayed out their noisy introduction, and a band — dasteh
— of devotees, beating their breasts, entered, and walked
round the sakou, invoking the names of Hassan and
Houssein. When sherbet and drinks had been served to
them, they went out again.
The audience did not show any mark of impatience.
A few preparations had been neglected : the Oustad
came to do them himself, with his assistants. From
the masts holding up the awning, he suspended lion skins
to recall the desert; scimitars, helmets, and shields as
emblems of battles, and some banners.
On one side of the Sakou he placed a heap of chaff

286 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
to represent the sands of the desert, in order that the
actors in moments of lamentation might throw handfuls
on their heads in sign of mourning in the biblical fashion.
On the other side he placed the basin of a silver
ewer, beautifully chased, full of water, to typify the
river Tigris. During these preparations, which the
spectators followed with interest, some elegant young
men served drinks and sherbets and ices to the public.
One of them had on his back a goat-skin full of water
like a sakka — street water-seller — in commemoration of
the sufferings by thirst of the martyrs.
Amid the deafening sound of barbarian music the
troupe of actors made their entry. It was a long and
solemn cortege, at the head of which marched the star,
a boy of fifteen, dressed in a cashmere shawl surcoat,
with a golden helmet, a coat of mail, and a scimitar.
He was very handsome in the Persian style, with eyes a
little too large for our taste, and very well defined eye
brows, which almost joined, a mouth with full red lips,
and an olive complexion. He had long waving curls
falling over his shoulders, and walked slowly, with the
dignity, the majesty, and the importance of a peacock
spreading his tail. Stars, whether they are in Teheran
or in London, are always stars, and constellate.
The Mirza told me that he came from Ispahan, where
the people are most graceful and animated. He»had
begun by being trained when quite small by his father,
the chief of a company of dancers, who wished to make
of him a singing dancer. His voice was so melodious,

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 287
and his elocution so perfect, that he abandoned that
profane profession for the sacred art, and came to
Teheran, where he obtained large salaries — he was
supposed to be paid four hundred tomans for the repre
sentations of the first ten days of Moharrem. This
constitutes affluence for a Persian of the lower class,
who can live on a pound a month handsomely.
During the remainder of the year he led the life of
a man of means, singing only from time to time at the
houses of grandees.
The ill-natured added that he drank, and was ready
to lay aside his sacred profession to become once more
a singing dancer if he received good offers, and that his
morals were not irreproachable.
Like every self-respecting star, he was capricious,
exigeant, and disagreeable, and was a thorn in the side
of his director and his colleagues, who waited with
impatience till he should lose his voice and his success
to make him rue it.
He took the part of Kassem, the hero of the drama,
son of Imam Hassan and nephew of Imam Houssein.
Houssein himself walked beside him a little in the
rear. He was a full-grown man, whose tall figure
towered over Kassem. Dressed in green, with an
immense turban of the same colour, his face was covered
with a square veil. Houssein, son of Ali and Fatimeh,
the daughter of the Prophet, is supposed by the Persians
to be the legitimate Caliph, whose death was decreed by
the usurper Yezid.

288 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Other boys and other men followed, the latter
taking the parts of aged women or angels. When veiled
they could present themselves, and even retain their
beards without spoiling the effect. The former furnished
young heroes, with bare faces, and young women.
This first group were supposed to be the People of
the Tent, i.e. the family of the Imams. They went up
to take their seats upon the sakou, which they never left
once during the whole performance. When they were
supposed to be on the stage, they stood up ; when they
were supposed to be off it, they merely sat down.
Houssein sat upon a chair in the middle of the stage.
It was a folding deck-chair of gilt bamboo and pink
plush, embroidered with outrageous scarlet flowers, bright
green leaves, and purple scrolls in the most deplorable
taste that Europe can furnish.
Behind him, on a table, was a halo of lamps
and lustre candlesticks crowded together like empty
bottles. Kassem sat in front of him in the Persian fashion,
upon a beautiful silk carpet. The others seated them
selves on different parts of the sakou : the bride, Zobeida,
daughter of Houssein, on the right, next to Zeyneb, her
aunt, Houssein's sister ; and the mother of Kassem, the
widow of Hassan, who had been poisoned at Medina.
Close by was Omm-Leyla, Houssein's wife, daughter
of the last Persian king of the Sassanian dynasty, more
popularly known under the name of Bibi-shahr-Banou,
the lady patron -saint of the town, whose tomb is at

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 289
Rey, the ancient Persian capital now in ruins, close to
Teheran. Next to her was the boy who was soon to be the corpse
of little Ali Akbar, the youngest among the People of
the Tent, the one over whose fate the Persians are most
miserable. Death overtook him when he had escaped
from the tent and was flying to the Tigris to quench his
thirst. He was shot down with arrows, and then hacked
to pieces. Beside the Tigris, whose waters glittered in the silver
basin, came to sit the " corpse " of Abbas, dressed in a
sort of shirt, stuck with arrows and smeared with gore, to
show the manner of his death.
On the sakou were also several little children not more
than four years old, with round caps embroidered with
pearls, and all sorts of amulets hanging round their heads
and necks, who remained very solemn and sad all through
the performance.
The second part of the cortege was the most sumptu
ous. It was composed of the Caliph Yezid, surrounded
by his court and wives and the hated general, Ibn-Said,
and his lieutenant, Shamr, both murderers. All the
richest stuffs, the most beautiful jewels, the most flashing
armour were reserved for them, and made a strong
contrast to the simplicity of the People ofthe Tent. The
Caliph Yezid was personified by a man with a square
beard ; he wore a robe of silver cloth embroidered with
gold palms. All the jewels of the harem of our host —
the owner of the Tekieh — were sewn upon it. His
19

290 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
horse, led by two pages, was sumptuously harnessed.
The other pages behind bore his scimitar and his shield.
Then came his wives, with their faces uncovered,
represented by boys who had been dressed in costumes
lent by European women, a device which without doubt
was intended to make them more odious to the public.
Then came the Court and Ibn-Sai'd and Shamr at the
head of the army. When they had made the circuit of
the sakou, Yezid, his wives and his Court, went to post
themselves upon a tribune near a door under which the
army and the horses stationed themselves.
Then the play began.1
First came a sort of invocation recited by the Mollah
on the tribune. He took a huge roll of paper and read
in a very loud, emphatic, sing-song fashion. It was a
sort of prologue, explaining the subject of the present
performance. The "corpses" who were sitting about now took up
their positions as corpses. Imam Houssein rose from
his chair and read an invocation.
The actors do not always recite their parts by heart,
they often read them from rolls of paper.
" O God, look at the disaster with which heaven and
earth are stricken ! O Kerbela, see how my soul is
oppressed ! O blessed Prophet, one after the other the
messages of blood have been addressed to Thee ! " (the
souls of the martyred Imams).
1 Comte de Gobineauhas made a complete translation of this play, which
may be found in his Religions et Philosophies dans VAsie Centrale.

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 291
Then he invoked himself: "O Houssein, walk to
the marriage of thy dear Kassem, and see how well the
blood replaces the henna on the hands and feet of the
young people. The Nightingale without wings of the
orchard of Hassan, moans from her heart. O Zephyr,
in passing through the hair of Kassem thou becomest as
musk. Pour the perfume exhaled from the grief of the
son on the grave of the father."
After he addressed his nephew, who got up : " O
Sun of the Skies of Martyrdom : brilliant Moon of the
second of the Seven Heavens, Sun armed with a lasso,
Moon armed with arrows and darts. O unique and
virgin Pearl of the Chaste Shelter of the Sea of Honour,
what art thou coming to tell me ? Speak to thy lament
ing uncle."
Kassem answers : " O light of the eyes of Mohammed,
the all-powerful ! O my uncle ! O lieutenant of Ali, the
intrepid Lion, O my uncle ! Abbas has perished ! Ali
Akbar has been martyred ! Here art thou without
warriors, without standard-bearers, O my uncle !
" The roses are past, their buds are passed ; the
jasmine is passed ; the poppies are passed. I alone am
remaining in the Garden of Faith. I am the thorn, the
most miserable, O my uncle.
"If thou art good to the orphan, this is the moment
to show it. Let me go and fight, O thou whose dust is
my crown." The Imam Houssein tries to console him, and to keep
him, but the boy speaks of the thirst that is

292 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
devouring all the People of the Tent, and pointing
to the basin full of water, exclaims —
"Cast thy gaze upon the Celestial River. I am
dying of thirst. Grant me, O Proof of God, a full
cup of the water of Selsebyl which runs in the Paradise
which awaits me."
Thus the conversation goes on, the tnother of Kassem
taking part in it. Thereupon Houssein hands to
the boy a paper from his dead father, in which his
marriage with Zobeida is ordered. Houssein in
vokes Mahomet, Fatima, and Hassan.
" O you all from Heaven, look at us. I am uniting
a resplendent moon to a shining sun, and now the word
of the moment is what dowry can I give. I shall replace
the splendour of jewels by another splendour." And
Kassem adds : " The necklace I will furnish with the
blood of my neck. The strewing of flowers that his
noble feet are to tread, I shall furnish them with pieces
of my body. For her laces, she will have some of the
colour of red tulips."
Imam Houssein (to the audience). " Bear witness all,
to these excesses of misfortune ; bear witness to this
marriage of sorrow."
Upon that all the audience plunged into loud
lamentations. Zeyneb announces to Zobeida that she is to marry
Kassem. Then follows a long dialogue between
Imam Houssein, the mother of Kassem and
Zeyneb; after which Kassem' s mother goes to

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 293
Omm-Leyla, who is lamenting over the body of
her son, Ali Akbar.
Omm-Leyla. " My Ali Akbar, bough without leaves
in the garden of my heart, Cypress of my soul ! " And
to Kassem' s mother: "O nightingale, warble what you
desire." The mother of Kassem invites her to the marriage,
but Omm-Leyla has only thoughts for her son.
Omm-Leyla. " Look at my poor Ali Akbar, hacked
to pieces." The mother of Kassem. " My son has no father to
keep watch over his head."
Omm-Leyla (to the audience). " Our young man, my
Ali Akbar, has no head."
The audience howled and beat their chests and
heads. And while their dialogue was going on the
two mothers covered their heads with the chaff; they
had very prudently taken the precaution at the beginning
of the play to make little heaps of it beside them to be
handy. At last Imam Houssein from his throne exclaims :
" Till when are you going to lament, my bulbuls (night
ingales) ? "
The women and the boys surround Kassem, who
meanwhile has seated himself on a throne. They
sprinkle him with rose water, put bracelets and
necklaces upon him, and strew sweetmeats all
round him.
Zeyneb (addressing Zobeida). "O Zobeida-Fatima !

294 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Put on a golden robe. Allah's bride with the wounded
heart, adorn thyself. Let us thank God for this new
bride who comes to kiss the eyes of Kassem."
Zobeida then seats herself near Kassem with a golden
veil upon her head. At the same time Omm-Leyla
adorns the body of her dead son as if he himself
was about to marry.
Omm-Leyla. " Ye women, who cry in the name of the
Prophet, bring hither the nuptial litter of Ali Akbar.
The autumn has come. Sorrow hath withered me.
My heart is ashes. My eyes are drowned. All the
flowers lift up their heads from the earth except my
flower which droops its head."
Imam Houssein goes to the corpse, and everyone covers
his head with chaff. He makes a long speech to
the body of Ali Akbar.
Omm-Leyla (addressing it). " Why art thou so dis
respectful to thy father? Why dost thou remain lying
in his presence ? "
Kassem and his bride. " Ali Akbar, where art thou ?
In this vile world thy place is empty."
Then musicians playing flutes and tambourines,
and grooms leading horses richly caparisoned, entered.
Kassem mounted one of them, and was led ceremoni
ously by the boys and women, with the exception of
Omm - Leyla. Flowers were thrown at him ; the
musicians walked behind him playing funeral airs and
preceding a litter hung with black which was to bear
Ali Akbar away.

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 295
At that moment the scene was supposed to change
to the desert, between the tents of the Imams and the
tent of the troops of Yezid. The trumpets sounded,
the drums beat, and the generals of Yezid, Ibn-Said,
and Shamr entered.
They wonder what the noise going on behind the
tents can be.
Ibn-Said. " Can this be the King of Faith celebrating
a marriage in this desert ? "
Shamr (ironically). " Permit me to take them my
congratulations." He addresses in an insulting voice
sarcastic compliments. " O Flower of the Garden of
Creatures, receive my good wishes, and allow me to
announce that thou must prepare for martyrdom."
As he said this, he and Ibn-Said cried like the rest.
It happens often that even those who are imper
sonating the enemy are carried away by the general
lamentation, and have a sensation of pity in spite of
the parts they have to play.
They both went out, and the Oustad confided to the
audience that the scene had changed, and once more
represented the interior of the tents of the Imams.
Then came a charming scene between Kassem and
Zobeida, which was really delightful.
Kassem. " God guard thee, for I must leave thee,
O my bride." (He kisses her.)
Zobeida (returning his caresses). "Thou whose slender
waist is like that of the cypress, tread gently, gently.
Question this sad moment."

296 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Kassem. "O spray of blossoms. Moan like the
nightingale, gently, gently. Breathe from thy heart its
passionate sighs, gently, gently."
Zobeida. "O Son of my Uncle, the vapours of
sorrow whirl in my soul. Come, is it thou? Soothe
the fires of my heart gently, gently."
Kassem. " Thou, whose hyacinthine locks curl like
the fruit of the hazel bush, fill with tears thine eyes
shaped like the almond, let fall the wine of the pome
granate on the leaf of the rose, gently, gently."
Zobeida. " Draw nigh, remain one little moment : the
light of thy countenance is a torch which illuminates us,
all. Let me hover round thee as a moth hovers round
the light."
Zobeida passes round Kassem performing the ancient
rites of respect and affection. Kassem has to leave
her ; she attempts to detain him by the skirt qf
his robe and by endearing words.
Kassem to Imam Houssein. " O King without an
army, Sovereign whose words are sweet, arrange thyself
the winding-sheet round the body of thy Kassem of the
honied lips."
Imam Houssein. " O nightingale of the divine
orchard of martyrdom, I rend thy garment as one
plucks the petals from a rose. Here is thy winding-
sheet. I kiss thy face, that moon of beauty. There
is no terror, no hope but in God."
The Oustad helped Kassem to arrange the winding-
sheet round his shoulders and waist as the Arabs

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 297
arrange it at the moment of engaging in a mortal
combat. Abd-Oullah (a young boy, a brother of Kassem, tries to
stop him). " I thought," says he, " that for the day of
thy espousals, I should bear in front of thee a pair of
lighted torches."
Kassem. " In place of two torches of joy, thou wilt
kindle the lights upon my tomb."
Abd-Oullah. " To whom wilt thou entrust thy be
trothed? My heart is full of sorrow for her."
Kassem. " I leave in thy hands my betrothed that
I leave thus ill-supported in this desert."
Abd-Oullah. " And me, to whose hands wilt thou
confide me, whose head is the price of thy feet?"
Kassem. " I shall confide thee, O my brother, to the
hands of our august uncle." (To Houssein?) "O my
uncle, my uncle, my dear uncle, I charge thee with
Abd-Oullah." (To Zobeida.) "Come, my betrothed, that
I may look on thee once more ; that I may pluck a
flower of joy from the garden of thy face." (They kiss
each other.)
Kassem and Zobeida to the audience. " Friends,
deprived of those that you loved, weep over the
separation." The audience answered by bursting into renewed
lamentations, the women making a whining sob at the
top of their voices.
Kassem. " Our next meeting will be at the resurrec
tion of the dead. O sacred family, farewell."

298 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Omm-Leyla. " Ransom of my soul, O my beloved
Kassem, why hast thou not bidden farewell to the corpse
of my Ali Akbar?"
Kassem to the corpse. "Ali Akbar, son of my uncle,
most valiant, so young and yet delivered to death.
I, young like thee, am without hope. Be not afflicted,
for I follow thee!"
Omm-Leyla to Kassem. " When thou shalt enter with
raining eyes into the Garden of Paradise, kiss for me
the head of Aii Akbar."
There was a burst of drums and trumpets : a groom
brought in a charger ; Kassem mounted it and grasped
his shield. Enter Ibn-Said and Soldiers.
Kassem, scimitar in hand, to the enemy. " O cunning
and ferocious foes, which of you will advance and
measure swords with me ? I also am a royal Fruit of
the Tree. I also am an ornament and a Jewel of the
Crown andof the Throne. I also am one of the rays
of the two sovereign Planets. I am the son of Hassan,
the nephew of Houssein."
Another blast of trumpets and thunder of drums.
They engage in combat, and exeunt still fighting.
Imam Houssein (seated on his throne). " O orphans,
cast up from your bodies sighs of sorrow. Lay the
Koran upon your heads. Prayers for Kassem are now
an imperious need. For he is alone in the battle, and
only a moment ago he became the son-in-law of
Houssein."

The Sabz-Meidan on the day of Asboura.

[Photo by Prince Abd-Oullah Mirza.

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 299
All the women and boys with the Koran upon their
heads shower chaff upon their heads.
Imam Houssein. " O Lord God, for the sake of the
Prophet ! "
All the audience cried aloud for mercy. "Amanl
Aman ! Aman ! "
At that pathetic point the planks of the sakou broke,
and Houssein disappeared into the fountain.
Of course nobody in the audience laughed ; it was far
too real to them, and the submersion accentuated the
catastrophe. It shows, anyhow, the carelessness of
Persians. They never take the trouble to do a thing
quite right ; they are satisfied if a thing will pass
muster. The people are so excited that some accident
always happens ; if the actors do not go into the fountain,
the lamps or the pictures fall on the audience.
The whole court resounded with the shrill yells of the
women, but as soon as anything like order was re
established, and the sakou mended, the performance
went on.
A new fanfare was heard, and Kassem came back,
alighted from his horse, approached Houssein, and was
surrounded by women and boys.
Kassem. " My uncle, thou art King, Kassem is thy
Chief of War. Kassem has triumphed. The General
of the Syrian army, Azrek, has been overthrown by my
sword, bathed in his blood. Honour Kassem with a
present." Imam Houssein. " May I be the ransom of

300 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
the strength of thy arm. What present wouldst
thou?" Kassem. "The only present I crave is water."
Imam Houssein. " I have no water."
Kassem. "If I could only moisten my lips, I could
kill all the men of Kufa."
Imam Houssein. " By my life I have not a drop of
water." Kassem. " If it were lawful, I would moisten my lips
with my own blood, but the blood is impure — to drink it
would be a crime."
Imam Houssein. " Dear boy, what can I do against
the forbiddings of the Prophet ? "
Kassem. " Pray, I beseech thee, that my lips may be
just moistened, and I swear I shall overcome the enemy."
Imam Houssein (pressing his lips against those of
Hassan). " Go now, and may Ali, son of Abou-taleb,
lead thee in the right way."
The mother of Kassem. " Stop, my darling, not yet a
man! Thou breakest the heart of thy mother. So
quickly, O so quickly ! "
Zobeida. " The nuptial chamber has become a
chamber of death, O son of my uncle, and so quickly, O
so quickly ! "
Kassem. "Misfortune! Misfortune! From every side
salt falls into my wounds. From one side the lamenta
tions of my mother set my head on fire, from another
the tears of my betrothed overwhelm me in a sea."
Kassem to Zobeida. "In remembrance of me, never

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 301
put on any green or red cloth. Be always dressed in
black, in order that people may say, her husband is dead.
However, at the Resurrection Day we shall meet again.
I bid thee good-bye."
Shamr and the soldiers appear in the tekieh. Kassem
mounts once more on his charger and draws once
more his scimitar. The trumpets blare, the
drums roll, and the combat recommences. They
all go out fighting.
Zobeida (alone). " Thou art gone, and with thee, Son
of my Uncle, is gone my happiness. After all, my
tenderness, I do believe, cannot have touched thy heart.
O, if that is so, do not think of me the disdained who
am thy spouse, but see in me what I am also, the
descendant of the Prophet, and love me for that."
Kassem (his horse is covered with a blood-stained
caparison, to which is attached a guantity of pieces of
wood painted red, representing arrows. Kassem himself
has on a sort of shirt also stuck with arrows. His
helmet has been struck off and a terrific gash is painted
on his forehead. His face is streaming with blood and
his hands are ruddy with it. He has lost his shield and
his scimitar. There is again a deafening noise of drums
and trumpets). " O Ali, Master of the trenchant sword,
help ! O my august ancestor, help ! "
He falls down and dies.
Shamr (entering and brandishing his sword). " Fair
spouse, plunged in despair, come forth from thy tent.
Kassem has come to see thee. Come ! "

302 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Imam Houssein. " Quick, Zeyneb, hasten thee here
Kassem is truly married. His nuptials have become the
eternal affliction of Kerbela.1 Come, that his nuptial
chamber may be hung in black. Tell his wife to put on
mourning." Zeyneb. " If the wife puts on a black veil, Kassem's
mother will expire with the shock. How can I drape
with black the nuptial chamber ? May Heaven give to
the winds the dust of my life. Arise, my dear nephew,
at the lamentations of my voice. After all, yes, I shall
cover thy nuptial chamber with black."
Mother of Kassem. " Thou, dear to Fatima, O Zeyneb,
what art thou going to do ? Hast thou learned that they
have killed my son ? "
Zeyneb. " Cover thy head with black, O my sister
with torn soul. May thy life be preserved. Thy Kassem
is dead." Mother of Kassem. " Alas, my fate is reversed : my
son, stolen by death, has fallen. Come, young bride, I
am in despair. Come, young bride of my poor, so brave
son, that I may put a black veil upon thy hair. O
Lord, O my God, may there never be another mother
like me! Fate has placed my hands in the hands of
sorrow." Zobeida. " O unhappy Kassem. May I be the ransom
of thy faith. Come back only for one moment to this
bridal chamber, where thy place has remained empty.
1 The sanctuary of Kerbela was erected in commemoration of the
slaughter of the People of the Tent in this spot.

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 303
Rub thy hand, gored with blood, upon my eyes, and look
what is more red, it or their colour."
Mother of Kassem (to Omm - Ley la). " Salute, O
mother of a young man carried off by death."
Omm-Leyla. " I salute thee, my forlorn sister."
Mother of Kassem. " Does thy affection know what
has happened to me ? "
Omm-Leyla. " May I die for thee — why dost thou
weep ? "
Mother of Kassem. " Behold at our side this new
bride dressed in black."
Omm-Leyla. " What is it? The sorrow has clouded
my mind."
Mother of Kassem. " My fresh blossom has been
trampled in blood."
Omm-Leyla. " Now thou understandest the state of
my heart."
Mother of Kassem. " Kassem so young has been the
ransom of thy beloved Ali Akbar."
Omm-Leyla. "Ali Akbar has been the ransom of the
Shiites." Mother of Kassem. " If thou desirest to weep, come,
let us band ourselves together, and think from henceforth
of nothing else."
At that moment, the play being ended, all the actors
got up and, drawn up in a line, pronounced together the
following prayer : —
"O God, never part the hand of Victory. This
betrothed from the hand of Muzaffer-ed-din Shah, the

304 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
sovereign, the seal of the glory of Jemsheed. May he
who hath organised this pathetic meeting, and he who
comes to weep at it, be welcomed by thee in memory of
Mohammed, the seal of Prophecy. May the women be
pardoned for Fatima, the men for Ali, cupbearer of the
Spring of Immortality : may the young and the old be
pardoned in memory of Ali Akbar and Kassem. To all
actors, O God, give a merciful life."
There was no applause, but the success was measured
by the flow of tears and the quantity of lamentations,
which that day had been plentiful.
The day of Ashoura — the ioth of the Moharrem —
is the climax of the mourning and despair. Everyone
is in black. Men go about unshaved, and with their
clothes rent, their shirts torn open on their breasts, and
their feet naked. Hordes of fanatics walk about, crying
and beating their heads and their chests. The worst
of them go about in files bareheaded, with the middle
of their head shaved in the Persian fashion. They are
dressed in long white sheets, and have swords in their
right hands with which they beat the tops of their heads,
and make wounds till the blood streams all over their
faces and shoulders. Men walk behind them with sticks
to break the force of the stroke when they see that it
will be dangerous. These files or dastehs, preceded
by a Mollah of the lowest class — for the higher clergy
condemn these barbaric customs — go to the houses of
the principal personages, who have the bad taste to
receive them and make presents to them. They give

PROCESSIONS AND THEATRES 305
large sums for the long white sheets which the self-
mutilators have drenched with their blood. Every year
nearly a dozen of these unfortunate and misguided men
pay the penalty of their fanaticism with their lives.
On that day I used to go, like a few Europeans,
to take up a position on the roof of the bazars, looking
on the Sabz-Meidan, where all the processions meet.
I always took care to go through the back streets, for
the excitement and fanaticism on these occasions is so
violent that it is better for a European not to mix with
the people.
From these roofs I saw all the processions con
verging. When two I dastehs of these self-mutilators
met, they came to blows, and had to be parted by the
crowd. I own that I did not understand the mentality
that led them to this behaviour. The women used to
shriek terribly when this happened, for quantities of
women and little girls come to the Sabz-Meidan to
watch that repulsive spectacle. I felt ashamed of myself
for watching it.
The governor of the town came and sat under the
arches, surrounded by his retinue, and criminals were
brought to him from the prisons of the town. For the
sake of the Holy Martyrs, he gave them their freedom.
As they were set free their first gesture to express
thankfulness to the governor as well as the Imams was
to take off their kolah, catch hold of one of the daggers
of the soldiers of the guard, and slash furiously at their
heads till they nearly fainted.
20

306 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Then came an enormous procession, preceded by
standard - bearers, carrying long staves crowned by
bunches of ostrich feathers, or gilt cupolas surmounted
by the Hand of Fatima, with silk trailers hanging down
from them, and platforms bearing representations of the
mosque of Kerbela or the tomb of the Imam Houssein.
Then all the personages of the Taziehs came into
the procession in their costumes of the religious drama.
The little Ali Akbar, pierced with arrows, was borne
on a bier on the shoulders of men dressed as Arabs
to represent the soldiers of the Caliph Yezid. After
him, on another litter, was carried a stuffed panther,
over which were two white doves, kissing each other,
which has an allegorical meaning, like the figures in
troduced into the frescoes of fables of the Alexandrian
Greek period. Then followed Imam Abbas on horseback,
transfixed with a lance, and with a hatchet embedded
in his head with horrible verisimilitude. The boy who
took the part swayed from side to side, as if he was
swooning at the point of death.
Kassem came next, also on horseback, pierced with
a sword, followed by all the other dramatis personse.
The crowd watching this spectacle was deeply
affected ; they wept passionately, and rent their garments.
It was an Old Testament Oberammergau.

CHAPTER XXX

THE BABIS

The Babi religion has spread widely in Persia, though
its adherents have to conceal their faith, which is officially
prohibited. Its tenets and history form too large, and
perhaps too recondite, a subject to be treated in these
pages. Readers can find what they require about them
admirably handled in the pages of A. L. M. Nicolas's
Seyyed Ali Mohammed dit le Bab (Dujarric, Paris) and
Mr. E. G. Browne's various publications.
To show the inquisitorial vengeance to which the
unhappy Babis have been subjected, I cannot do better
than give a translation of an article which appeared in
the Official Gazette of the Persian Government, relative
to the attempt by the Babis upon the Shah's life.
The account, coming from an enemy of the Babis,
tries to show them at their worst, but its naive admissions
only serve to bring out the high ideals and heroism of
the Babi martyrs, and the cold cruelty and bigotry of
their persecutors. The article convicts its authors.
"In our last number, in giving briefly an account of
the attempt upon the life of the Shah, we have promised
our readers to supply them with the after results of
307

308 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
this lamentable affair, and to let them know the result
of the inquiries made to discover the motives of this
vast conspiracy, directed not only against the life of
our beloved sovereign, but also against the public peace,
and against the property and lives of true Mussulmans.
For the real aim of these malefactors was, in getting
rid of the person of the King, to seize the power, and
by this detestable means to secure at last the triumph
of their abominable cause, in forcing, by arms and
violence, the good Mussulmans to embrace their in
famous religion, which differs from that sent down from
Heaven, and which does not accord either with philo
sophy or human reason — which is, in fine, the most
deplorable heresy that has ever been heard of, as may
be gathered from certain of their books and pamphlets
which we have been able to procure.
"The founder of this abominable sect, who began
to propagate these detestable doctrines only a few
years ago, and who, having fallen into the hands of
the authorities, was immediately shot, was called Ali
Mohammed, and had given himself the surname of
Bab,1 wishing to give people to understand by this that
the keys of Paradise were in his hands.
" After the death of the Bab, his disciples met soon
under the orders of another chief, Sheikh Ali of Turshiz,
who assumed the position of nayeb (vicar) of the Bab,
and had imposed it on himself to live in complete
solitude, showing himself to nobody, and granting
1 Bab means gate.

THE BABIS 309
audiences to his principal followers only at rare intervals.
They regarded this favour as the greatest that Heaven
could confer on them. He had given himself the sur
name of Hazret Azem, the Highest Highness.
"Among the people who were attached to him one
may mention first Hadji Suleiman Khan, son of the
late Yah- Yah Khan of Tabriz. It was in the house
of this Suleiman Khan, in Teheran, in the quarter
Sar-i-Cheshmeh, that the principal Babis used to meet
to deliberate upon their hateful projects. Twelve
amongst them, who appeared more zealous and deter
mined than the others, were chosen by Hazret Azem,
who had the necessary arms given to them to execute
the great act that he believed to be unavoidable. Pistols,
daggers, cutlasses, nothing was spared, and, armed in
this way, it seemed impossible for them to miss their
prey. "They were recommended to stand in the neigh
bourhood of Niavaran, and to wait for a favourable
opportunity. " We may refer our readers to our last number ; they
will see in it how three of these madmen have taken
advantage of the circumstance which presented itself on
Sunday the 28th of Chavval, at the moment when
His Majesty, having gone out of the town, directed
himself, with his ordinary suite, towards the village
where he was in the habit of going for his hunting
parties. They will see how they flung themselves
upon the King, one after the other, firing their pistols

310 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
nearly point-blank at His Majesty ; how one of them
was immediately slain by people of well-known zeal
and devotion, such as Assad Oullah-Khan, first equerry
of the King, Mustofi-el-Memalek, Nizam-oul-Moulk, the
Keshikchi-Bashi, and other persons who were near His
Majesty ; how at last the two others were seized and
thrown into the prison of the town.
" An inquiry was at once made into the case, and put
into the hands of Adjutant Bashi Hadjeb-ed-Dowleh,
the Kalentar (Minister of Police), and the Kedkhodas
of the town (a sort of municipal councillors).
" Thanks to the zeal and the activity that they showed
in their inquiries, they soon learned that the house of
Suleiman- Khan was used as the place of meeting by
these wretches. It was immediately surrounded on all
sides ; but whether by the neglect of the men of Hadjeb-
ed-Dowleh, or by the lack of cohesion in the execution
of this enterprise, they succeeded in catching only twelve,
amongst them Suleiman- Khan. The others effected
their escape, one does not know exactly how. But
their accomplices having named several of them, the
police, it may be hoped, will soon trace them.
" However, not a single day passed without the
Adjutant- Bashi of the Kalentar and the ferrashes of
the King capturing three, four, or even five Babis, whom
they quickly brought before the Imperial divan or
tribunal, which in such a case is held in public.
" They were interrogated at once, and condemned
upon their own evidence, as well as on the denuncia-

THE BABIS 311
tions of their accomplices, whom they took care to
confront with them.
" These interrogatories were made in accordance with
the customs and forms laid down by the law.
" We must not omit here to recall the immense service
that Hadjeb-ed-Dowleh has rendered to the Faith, to
the State, and to Religion, in capturing Mollah Sheikh
Ali of Turchiz, in spite of all the precautions that he
took not to be seen in public, and in spite of the retired
and secretive life which he did not cease to lead till the
moment of his arrest. By his flight from the town he
had expected to find a shelter against all pursuit ; he
had hidden himself in a little house at Evine in the
Shimran. " He lived there, surrounded by some faithful disciples,
who, like himself, had succeeded in escaping from the
house of Suleiman Khan at the moment that it was
surrounded. " It is in this house that Hadjeb-ed-Dowleh, accom
panied by his men, succeeded in surprising them at the
moment when they expected it least. The Babis were
seized, manacled, and thrown into the prisons of the
town. " His Excellency the Grand Vizier, Mirza Aga Khan,
had the satisfaction of interrogating himself the chief of
this hateful sect. He made him appear before him
with the disciples taken at the same time as this wretch,
and questioned him in their presence. Mollah Sheikh
Ali of Turchiz did not attempt to excuse himself. He

312 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
avowed that he had become the chief of the Babis
since the death of the Bab ; that he had given the
order to his most devoted disciples to kill the King.
He declared even that Mohammed Sadek, who had
precipitated himself the first on the King, was his con
fidential servant and that he had provided himself the
necessary arms to execute the regicides' project The
number of these wretches who had fallen into the hands
of justice does not exceed thirty-two. As for the others,
the police have not been able to find them, and it is
believed that they have crossed the frontiers of Persia
and gone to lead a wretched life in a foreign land.
" We impose upon ourselves the task of pointing out to
our readers the admirable conduct of His Excellency the
Minister of Russia on this occasion.
" One ofthese damnable conspirators, Mirza Houssein
Ali, had taken refuge at Zerghandeh in the summer
quarters of the Russian Legation. The Prince Dol-
gorouki, having learnt that this individual was amongst
the conspirators, had him seized by his own people and
sent to the Ministers of His Majesty, who, touched by
an action so in conformity with the good relations that
existed between Persia and Russia, evinced their pro
found gratitude to him. His Majesty himself had his
thanks conveyed to the prince, and gave orders that
the people who had been entrusted with conveying the
culprit to custody should be worthily recompensed, which
was done without delay.
"Amongst the Babis who have fallen into the hands

THE BABIS 313
of justice, there are six whose culpability not having been
well established, have been condemned to the galleys for
life. The others have all been massacred in the following
ways : —
" Mollah Sheik Ali of Turchiz, the author of this
conspiracy, has been condemned to death by the Ulemas
or religious judges, and put to death by them.
" Seyyed Houssein Khorassani was killed by the
princes of the blood, who massacred him with pistol-
shots, scimitars, and daggers.
"Mustafi-el-Memalek took charge of the execution of
Mollah Zeyine-el-Abedin, Yezdi, whom he killed with
pistol-shots fired point blank, after which the Mustafis of
the Divan, throwing themselves upon the corpse, riddled
it with pistol-shots and stabs of sword, dagger, and
cutlass. " Mollah Houssein Khorassani was killed by Mirza
Kassem Nizam Oul-Moulk and by Mirza Sa'id Khan,
Minister of Public Affairs. Mirza Kassem was the first to
approach the condemned, and shot him with his pistol point
blank. Then Mirza Said Khan approached in his turn
and fired another pistol. At last the servants of these
two high functionaries threw themselves on the corpse,
which they hacked to pieces with knives and daggers.
"Mirza Abdoul Wahab of Shiraz, who during his
sojourn in Kazemein had rendered himself guilty in the
eyes of the authorities by inciting the inhabitants to
revolt, was put to death by Jaffar Kouli-Khan, brother
of the Grand Vizier, by Zulfe-Khar Khan, by Moussa

314 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Khan, and by Mirza Aly Khan, all three sons of the
Grand Vizier, assisted by their servants and the guards
of the King and the other people present at the execution,
some using pistols, others rifles, others daggers of all sorts,
so that the corpse of this wretched man was reduced to
mincemeat. " Mollah Fethoulhah, son of Mollah Aly, the book
binder, the man who, shooting at the King with a pistol
loaded with lead, slightly wounded His Majesty, had his
body covered with holes, in which lighted candles were
stuck. Then Hadjeb-ed-Dowleh received the order to
kill him with a pistol-shot, which he did by shooting at
the exact spot of the body where His Majesty had been
wounded. He fell stone dead. Then the ferrashes of
the King threw themselves on the body and hacked it to
pieces and heaped stones upon it.
" Sheikh Abbas of Teheran has been sent to the bottom
of hell by the Khans and other dignitaries of the State,
who killed him with pistols and swords.
" Mohammed Taghi of Shiraz had horseshoes nailed
to his feet first, like a horse, by Ased-oullah-Khan, first
equerry of His Majesty, and by the employees of the
Imperial stables. Then he was beaten to death with
maces and with the great nails of iron which are used in
the stables to fasten the horses to.
" Mohammed Aly of Nejef-Abad was handed over to
the Artillery men, who first of all tore out one of his eyes,
then bound him over the muzzle of a gun and blew him
to pieces.

THE BABIS 315
"As to Hadji Suleiman Khan, son of Yah- Yah Khan
of Tabriz, and Hadji Kassem, also of Tabriz, they were
marched through the town of Teheran with their bodies
stuck with candles, accompanied by dancers and by the
music of the Evening, which is composed of long horns
and huge drums, and were followed by a crowd of the
curious, who wished to stone them, but were prevented
by the ferrashes.
" Suleiman Khan, when one of the candles fell, sank
and picked it up, and restored it to its place. Somebody
having cried, ' You sing, why don't you dance ? ' Suleiman
began to dance.
" Once out of the town, the ferrashes, executing the
orders which had been given them, cut them both into four
pieces, which they hung over various gates of the town.
" Nejef of Khamseh was abandoned to the fury of the
mob, who beat him to pieces with their fists and stones.
" Hadji Mirza Djami, merchant of Kachan, was killed
by the Provost of the Merchants of Teheran, assisted by
the merchants and shopkeepers."
The above is the official Persian account. Comte de
Gobineau, who was Minister of France to the Court of
Teheran at that time, tells us —
" One saw that day in the streets and bazars of
Teheran a spectacle that the population will never forget.
One saw, walking between staffs of executioners, children
and women, with the flesh gaping all over their bodies,
with lighted wicks soaked with oil stuck in the wounds.
The victims were dragged by cords and driven with

316 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
whips. The children and women walked singing a
verse, which says, ' In truth we come from God, and we
return to Him.' Their voices rose piercingly in the
middle of the profound silence of the mob ; for the
population of Teheran is neither bad-hearted nor much
devoted to Islam. When one of the tortured people fell,
he was forced to rise with blows from whips and prods
from bayonets. If the loss of blood which ensued from
the wounds all over the body left him strength enough, he
began to dance and shout with fervour, ' We belong to
God, and we return to Him.' Some of the children
expired en route. The executioners threw their bodies
under the feet of their father and sister, who walked
fiercely upon them, without looking.
" When they arrived at the place of execution near the
new gate, life was again offered to the victims if they
would abjure their faith, and, though it seemed difficult
means were sought to intimidate them. The executioner
hit upon the device of signing to a father that if he did
not abjure he would cut the throat of his two sons upon
his chest These were two small boys, the eldest being
fourteen, who, red with their own blood and with flesh
scorched by the candles, listened unmoved. The father
answered by lying down on the earth that he was ready,
and the eldest of the boys, claiming his right of birth,
begged to have his throat cut first It is not impossible
that the executioner refused him this last satisfaction.
At last everything was ended, and the night fell upon a
heap of mangled human remains. The heads were

THE BABIS 317
strung in bundles to the Posts of Justice, and all the dogs
of the suburbs made their way to that side of the
town. " This day gave to the Bab more secret partisans than
many preachings could have done."

CHAPTER XXXI
superstitions, astrologers, djinns
Superstition is of no age, it is as old as humanity. All
peoples have, one after the other, been bound to it, but
nowhere has it rooted itself so deeply as in the East.
The Easterns feel the need of a world that contains all
the wonders created by their imagination ; they feel the
weight of that world upon their heads ; they struggle
against the perpetual impression of mystery ; they look for
something beyond the ordinary life ; they keep their eyes
open to that other world ; they seem more interested in it
than in what is going on upon earth. They fear to miss
God or to be missed by God.
So, in their interest in the mystery, they try to give a
meaning to cosmic phenomena as well as to the least
manifestation which occurs in everyday life.
More than two thousand years ago, the shepherds
who drove their herds across the plains of Chaldea tried
to decipher the skies, while the hereditary science of the
Magi knew how to number the farthest stars. The
extraordinary limpidity of atmosphere has certainly been
an invitation to these studies, for in Persia the stars shine
marvellously and seem to be nearer the earth. They
818

SUPERSTITIONS, ASTROLOGERS 319
look exactly — as the Persians say — as if they were
hanging like lamps from the deep crystal vault of the
skies. The Persia of to-day has no less faith in the science
of astrology. The Mounajim, or astrologers, reading the
stars and telling fortunes, enjoy there great consideration,
in spite of Mahomet, who cautioned the Faithful against
those whom he classes as "speculating upon public
credulity." "Astrologers lie," says he in the Koran;
" I swear it by the God of the Kaaba."
They have access to the palace, where the richest
presents are given for their consultations, but do not
disdain the petty remuneration of the poor.
They enjoy the absolute confidence of the grandees,
many of whom let them direct the minutest details of
their lives, doing nothing without being told if the omens
are favourable.
It is sufficient to look at their calendar to understand
their procedure : the years are divided into cycles of
twelve, the Turkish ouigour, consisting of —

Sitchqan yil .

Year of the rat.

Oud yil .

• ji

n

OX.

Bars yil .

) i

i *

leopard.

Tavichqan yil .

J )

j >

rabbit.

Loui yil .

>l

i »

crocodile

Yilan yil.

i )

j j

serpent.

Yiount yil

>>

» j

horse.

Qoui yil .

11

) >

sheep.

320 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA

Pitchi yil

. Year of the monkey,

Tehhaqou yil .

„ „ hen.

Ait yil .

„ -, dog.

Tengouz yil .

., .. pig-

Each year has its special attribute. The year of the
rabbit, for example, will have plenty of rain ; the baby
born in its first period will be endowed with a striking
cleverness and a great truthfulness. — But there must be
a bad fairy presiding at the birth of Persians, who takes
away one of these gifts, and generally the second one. —
In the second period he will be born ddsSguilibre"—^
without balance ; in the third, with the gift of sciences.
And so on for each year.
This calendar contains instructions for everything that
must be done at the beginning of each month to pass it
without accident or illness. When you perceive the first
moon of the month of Redjeb, you must immediately look
at a turquoise, an agate, some vegetables, or running
water ; at the first moon of the month of Sefer, a mirror,
gold, or silver ; at the first moon of Ramazan, a ring, a
sword, some armour, fire, or the Koran. And so on for
each month.
There are also repertories which show the connection
of each action with the day in which it ought to be
accomplished, and the result of its being done on such or
such a day. For example, to drop a pen, see a snake,
hear the singing of a bulbul, feel the rubbing of a cat,
have a bad dream, have a bleeding nose, laugh, cry,

SUPERSTITIONS, ASTROLOGERS 321
sleep, may signify, according to the case, felicity or
unhappiness. In them you can find also the best day to
transcribe a prayer to avoid the bite of a scorpion, to
put on a new suit of clothes, to go out shooting, to ask
for an audience of a governor or of the Shah. One day
is good for marrying, another for watering your garden ;
another is only good for doing — nothing at all. And so
on for each day.
The astrologer is the master of the secret science.
He advises the traveller about his journey, the sick man
upon the choice of his doctor and the application of his
medicines ; he can scent a robber, and drive him to such
a state of fright that he makes restitution of the thing
robbed. Malcolm tells us that "in 1806, when a Persian
ambassador was about to proceed to India, he was
informed by his astrologer of a most fortunate conjunction
of the stars, which, if missed, was not likely to occur
again for some months. He determined that, though he
could not embark, as the ship was not ready, to move
from his house at Abusheher to his tents, which were
pitched at a village five miles off. It was discovered,
however, by the astrologer that he could neither pass
through the door of his own dwelling nor the gate of the
fort, as an invisible but baneful constellation was exacdy
opposite, and shed dangerous influence in that direction.
To remedy this, a large aperture was made in the wall
of his house, but that opened into his neighbour's, and
four or five more walls were to be cut through before the

322 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
ambassador and his friends (including the principal men
who were to accompany him) could reach the street.
They then went to the beach, where it was intended to
take a boat and proceed two miles by sea, in order that
their backs might be turned on the dreaded constellation ;
but the sea was rough, and the party hesitated about
encountering a real danger to avoid an imaginary one.
In this dilemma the governor was solicited to let a part
of the wall of the town be thrown down, that a mission
on which so much depended might not be exposed to
misfortune. The request, extraordinary as it may appear,
was complied with, and the cavalcade marched over this
breach to their tents. The astrologer rode near the
ambassador that he might continually remind him to
keep his head in one position : by his aid he reached his
tents without any occurrence to disturb the good fortune
which was augured to result from his having left his home
at the propitious moment."
Astrology is studied with the seriousness and the
method which would be applied in our country to precise
sciences like mathematics or geography, and it is only
after years of laborious application that the student,
however gifted, can become a master in the art The
Koran tells us —
" God has created seven heavens and seven earths.
He makes them obey His voice that you may know that
His power is without limits, and that the Universe is
full of His Science" (Koran, chap. lxv. ver. 12).
These seven heavens and earths are distant from

SUPERSTITIONS, ASTROLOGERS 323
one another five hundred days' journey. All are in
habited. The Koran also says —
"We have placed signs in the firmament and we
have disposed them in order to satisfy the eye. We
defend them against the attempts of the devils by
piercing the devils with darts. If a devil dares to
penetrate furtively in them to hear, he will be pursued
by the flames."
These signs are the signs of the Zodiac.
Mohammedans believe that before Mahomet the devils
climbed into the signs of the Zodiac, where they listened
to the discourses of the angels and then revealed them
to the magicians and astrologers. When Mahomet was
born, God drove them away from the celestial spheres,
and forbade them to listen to the secrets of heaven.
Some of them still try to get in, but are repelled with
darts of fire. Meteors are supposed to be the fire
darts which God throws at the devils who try to climb
into the Zodiac.
It is about the interpretation of dreams that the
astrologers are most often consulted. They classify
the dreams in three separate categories: — (i) Dreams
reproducing or having reference to impressions received
when awake. (2) Dreams that are caused by bad
health : if they arise from indigestion, which the
Persians call heart-full, the vision will be red ; it may
take the form of blood, flames, or perhaps simply
tomatoes. If it is from biliousness, the predominating

324 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
colour will be saffron, and the vision may take the
form of a marigold, a brass basin, or the sun.
Melancholia will bring visions dark and black, from
the banal ink to the most frightful abysses of hell.
(3) Dreams which are evoked by the World of
Similitudes (Aalam-i-mithal). In these dreams you
see unknown countries, strange animals, and fantastic
human beings, and very often these are suggested by
legends which take form during the sleep, or you simply
see people, or you see things which might happen in
the ordinary life but have not happened. And all that
opens a large horizon to the interpretations of astrologers.
The World of Similitudes has been catalogued in such
a way that each human being, each thing, and often
each abstraction, has its appropriate form. If you
dream, for instance, of a wolf which is drinking milk,
it signifies that your enemy knows everything about
you, because the appropriate form of an enemy is a
wolf, and the appropriate form of science is milk.
But notwithstanding the spell which surrounds the
astrologers, they do not always escape raillery, and their
science is sometimes proved to be at fault They can b§
deceived themselves, as is shown in the following tale : —
A young man was commissioned to engage and
distract an astrologer whilst his comrade was courting
the astrologer's wife in the enderoun. He asked him,
" O you mounajim of the mounajims, having heard of
your unique science, I want you to tell me if the day
is come for my journey to Meshed, where I want to

SUPERSTITIONS, ASTROLOGERS 325
visit the shrine of the Imam Reza — God bless him."
The astrologer took out his books and his tables, and
began to calculate. After many inspired calculations
and inspired looks at the skies, he said, putting great
emphasis upon the names of the planets, " Saturn is
in Aries — that is not bad ; but Venus is in opposition
to Saturn — that is bad. And, worst of all, Mercury is
falling into the Scorpion ! You had better remain here,
for your journey under such bad auspices would only
bring you bad luck, or perhaps illness, or even death."
The young man congratulated him upon his know
ledge, but added, " Do you know as much about what
is going on on earth?" "Why not? Do you want
to know what is going on at Stamboul or at the Court
of the King of Franghistan ? " " No, not so far. If you
only knew what is going on next door in your enderoun,
that would certainly have a more immediate interest to
you than the most striking conjunction of the planets."
The astrologers also study astronomy. The
Ptolemaic system is still their guide for the evolution
of the heavenly bodies. They know all the planetary
systems, calculate the eclipses and know their causes,
whilst the popular ignorance sees in them supernatural
intervention which terrifies it as if it was a sign of
war, or of danger for the Shah.
The apparition of a comet in 1880 produced a true
panic; it coincided with the prophecy of an Italian
priest, spread everywhere, foretelling the end of the
world for the month of December. Many people sold

326 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
all their goods and gave the money to the priests for
their salvation. Others ran to pay their debts to the
Jews; others took refuge in the mosques.
Earthquakes provoke the same superstitious fear.
They are attributed to the ox, which, according to the
Persian legend, holds the earth upon his twenty-one
horns, when in a fit of anger he shakes his head.
The belief in omens, the Evil Eye, and charms, is
very widely spread. Three lights in a room bring mis
fortune ; the number thirteen is fatal; when counting
one says "eleven, twelve, it is not thirteen, fourteen,
etc." When you hear the prayer-call of the Muezzin, you
must kiss your index finger and pass it twice over your
ears. It is bad to sneeze once, whilst a second sneezing
is fortunate. Once Muzaffer-ed-din Shah was to come
to the races of Dowchan Tepeh, where he had invited
all the diplomatic body, all the dignitaries, and a great
assemblage, who were waiting for his arrival to begin
the races, when H.E. Zehir-ed-Dowleh, Minister of
Ceremonies, came and said that His Majesty had sneezed
once under the gate of the palace whilst going out,
and that he had been obliged to go back and wait
for a second sneezing, which did not come. So they
could not leave the palace, and the race-meeting was
postponed. The Evil Eye in Persia is no less dreaded than
in Italy and Egypt. Though it is not much spoken

SUPERSTITIONS, ASTROLOGERS 327
of, Persians take many precautions against it. So you
see over the gate of a house a pair of horns of a stag
or moufflon, or a horseshoe, designed to counteract it
But above all the Persians dread it being cast upon
little children. The Egyptians counteract it by never
washing the children till they are six or eight years
old, believing that a coat of dirt is a shield against
the Evil Eye. The Persians do not imitate this pro
cedure, but cover the faces of very young children,
and make them wear all sorts of amulets all over their
bodies — the most efficient of which are claws of tigers
and wolves and lizard skins.
If a mother sees a dead body before the birth of
her child, she must immediately sprinkle it with salt,
and keep a pinch of the salt to put on the eyes of the
child at his birth. If she neglects to do that her child
will have the Evil Eye, and bring bad luck on every
thing that he admires.
A multitude of Djinns and Divs are supposed to
people deserts and mountains, from which they issue to
persecute human beings. Though they are not visible,
they prefer to take up their quarters in secret places.
They have a particular affection for wells, but do not
disdain keyholes.
Solomon is believed to have acquired dominion over
them, though there is a story in the Chronicle of Ismael-
ben-Ali which shows that they sometimes outwitted him.
"Solomon had a ring upon which depended the
duration of his kingdom. When he went to the bath

328 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
he confided it to one of his wives. One day while he
was in it, a Djinn named Sacar, having assumed his
appearance, demanded the ring from the wife in whose
charge it had been left. She was taken in and gave
it to him. He took it and threw it in the sea, and
went and sat on the throne of Solomon. He then
altered the . laws by which the King governed the
Children of Israel. Solomon, having looked in vain for
the ring, which was the guarantee of the duration of
his kingdom, believed that God wanted to punish him.
He went out of his palace and wandered through Judea,
crying, ' I am Solomon.' But no one would believe
him. He remained forty days in that state. At last,
having asked for some food from a fisherman, he found
the ring in the stomach of a fish. From that moment
he re-entered upon his rights, and, having caught the
Djinn, Sacar, had him bound with chains and thrown
into the Lake of Tiberias."
The Persians believe that you can command the
services of the Djinns if once you succeed in mastering
them. This is the prescription : first of all comes a
great deal of preparation which is a sort of trial of
moral strength. It consists in isolating yourself for
forty days in the desert, which is called chilli, and con
fining yourself to a spot marked out on the ground, a
circle or square, or a geometrical figure — mandal. All
the time you are in it you must make incantations in
Arabic, in cabalistic terms. These cabalistic terms have
been revealed by Solomon, who was master of the Djinns.

SUPERSTITIONS, ASTROLOGERS 329
Like St. Anthony in the desert, he who tries it has to
concentrate all his thoughts on the same point or on the
same subject, and deprive himself of food, eating less and
less every day. After five days of this regime, a lion
will appear to you. You must not have any fear of it,
and, above all, must not come out of the mandal. Then
other apparitions follow, and these will take the form of
elephants, serpents, and at last monstrous dragons. If
the experimenter resists all these frights, and is not
driven away by them, after forty days he will master
the Djinns. The Persians are quite convinced that it
might happen, and they cite persons who have attained
to this result But, of course, you never meet them.
These superstitious ideas do not escape the laws of
fatalism which rule the Oriental life. All good, all bad,
comes from God, who writes it in the Book of Fate ; and
when once it is written, God Himself cannot rub it out.
To illustrate this, here is a tale which the Chief Priest
of Maragha told me : —
"A traveller on horseback, holding a bag of gold,
stopped at a spring to drink, then went away. A
moment after, a young boy came and found the bag of
gold, which had been left behind by the traveller, picked
it up, and, seeing nobody round, ran away with it But
an old blind man who had a cabin close by, where he
lived upon the charity of the passers-by, came to drink
at the spring. At the same time the traveller, who had
found out that he had forgotten his bag, came back there
too. Seeing nobody but the old man, he asked him if he

330 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
had not found his bag of gold. The old man answered,
' I am but a poor blind man, how could I have found
your bag?' The traveller lost his temper, abused the
old man, and said, ' By Allah, thou hast robbed my bag
of gold ! I am as sure of it as of the indubitable exist
ence of the seventh heaven ! ' And he was so infuriated
by the denials of the old man that he killed him."
A man told that tale to Moses, and asked him, "If
God is just, how could he write in the Book of Fate such
things?" "Don't blaspheme, man," said Moses, "but
learn what is here the cause of God's will. The
traveller had robbed the boy's father of all his goods,
and the old man had killed the traveller's brother ; each
of them ignored these facts, and thus was manifested the
justice of God the Almighty."

CHAPTER XXXII

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN

One of my most interesting experiences in Persia was
the expedition I made round the lake Ourmiah.
I left Teheran for Tabriz (where I was sent to act as
locum tenens at the French Consulate) at the beginning
of May with Pierre Loti, who had just been visiting
Teheran, coming from India.
We went to Resht, crossed the lake Mourd-ab, and
got to Enzeli, a little village on the border of the Caspian
Sea, where the gardens full of lilies and the blossoming
orange trees made a great impression on the poetical
imagination of the author of Madame Chrysantheme.
The next day we had to get up at three o'clock in the
morning in order not to miss the Russian boat which
was to take us to Baku. As there is no port at Resht
and the steamer has to lie far out, and only stops long
enough to signal with her siren and pick up passengers
from barkass (boats), we had to wait for her in a barkass
outside the mouth of the lake
We waited in that barkass all day long, from four in
the morning, so as to be ready to jump on board the
moment the steamer approached, but we did not hear

332 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
the horn of the Russian boat till six o'clock at night.
The barkass shot out to meet it, but embarkation was
difficult on account of the swell. We had to wait till the
crest of the wave carried us up to the "companion" for
each person to go on board.
About the steamer the less said the better. The food
may have been Russian. The next day, on our arrival at
Baku, the Russian custom-house officers, who have a well-
deserved reputation for aggressiveness, desired us to open
all our numerous bags. The French Vice-Consul had
received word from the Legation to be there to rescue us
from the hands of these tormentors, but he came late. I
tried to impress the officials, showing them letters from
the Russian Legation at Teheran, which had been given
me for that purpose, but they did not pay the least
attention to them.
One of them could speak a little English. I told
him what an important position Captain Viaud (Pierre
Loti) held in the French Navy, with the same result.
As a last resource, and without the least hope that it
would be understood, I mentioned that my fellow-
traveller was the famous member of the French Academy
who has immortalised himself under the name of Pierre
Loti. To my astonishment, I saw the man fairly dumb
founded. First he gaped, then he exclaimed in thick
accents, " Oh, Academic Loti ! " and, with profuse saluta
tions, bade us pass on without a single moment's more
delay.

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 333
Pierre Loti was almost as astonished as the official.
It seemed incredible that his fame as a French
Academician should have reached an understrapper in
the customs in such a God-forsaken place as Baku.
Baku is the most desolate place in the world. There
is not a blade of green ; the fumes of petroleum have
killed everything. There is no water except what comes
by railway. There are about four trees with about four
leaves each in the public square, which have been tended
with the greatest care and watered at very great expense.
In the midst of the squalid town may be seen here
and there the magnificent marble palace of some oil
king. Baku's hideousness is half Russian, half Oriental ;
it is called the Black Town. Everything is impregnated
with petroleum ; everything smells of petroleum, every
thing tastes of petroleum.
We left that nightmare as quickly as possible, and
took the train for Tiflis.
At first we crossed barren steppes, dotted here and
there with the tents of Turkomans — very wild-looking
people, who move about with their herds. Then the
scenery was transformed : it grew more and more
splendid as we entered the mountains. The railways,
after the fashion of mountain railways, made free use
of the river gorges ; sometimes our eyes were riveted
on the wild depths below us, and sometimes they were
arrested by the grandeur of the peaks above us as we
rattled along.
At last we perceived in a delightful valley the

334 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
ravishing city of Tiflis, towering over both shores of
the river Koura, and dominated by the ruins of the
ancient castle of Queen Thamara.
When we alighted in Tiflis, we were agreeably
struck, coming from a Mussulman country, to see
unveiled women walking about the streets, mostly
beautiful, especially the Georgians, whose beauty is
proverbial. We went to the bazar, remarkable for its filigree
work in gold and silver. It is interesting to watch
the goldsmiths plying their delicate craft, and to see
the armourers forging the daggers and long scimitars
and the filigree imitations of cartridges worn by the
Tcherkess and Cossacks.
In the Persian and Turkish bazars, all the carpets,
silks, and Oriental stuffs were like those of Teheran.
Lambskins are the things to buy at Tiflis. They
are of the first quality : they come from a special
breed of lambs, and, in order that they may be very
fine, they are taken before the birth of the lamb by
killing the mother.
It is easy to imagine how interested Pierre Loti was
in the bazars, where we made a few typical purchases :
it was crowded with national types, which are very
varied and numerous in the Caucasus.
The Georgians take the first place for beauty with
the Lezghians and Circassians, from whom the Shah
and the Sultan recruit part of their harems. The men
of these tribes are tall, elegant, active, and strong ; they

J
u.

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 335
wear the Cossack dress, with a dagger and a scimitar,
a tragi-comedy, for, since arms are prohibited by the
Government, the blades are only of wood.
Armenians, Turks, Greeks, Turkomans, Russians,
Germans, and other nations meet in this caravanserai
between Asia and Europe. All wear their national
dress. We visited some interesting churches, one of which
was dedicated to St. George, the patron of Georgia,
the hardest worked saint in the calendar. He is still
killing the dragon. It is a large mediaeval church, a
fine example of the art of this country. It has a
dome, and in its architecture generally bears the stamp
of the Orient : the grilles of the tabernacle are beautiful
and fantastic, and the icons of the Virgin and the saints
are flashing with jewels.
After three days in Tiflis, Pierre Loti and I parted,
he going to Constantinople, I down the Caucasus back
to Persia. I accompanied him to the station, where a
deputation of women, who had heard that he was in the
city, were assembled to salute him. He was touched by
that attention of the women of the Caucasus, though,
as he told me, he hated to be made a "white
elephant." I went from Tiflis to Erivan in a carriage drawn
by three, and sometimes four, horses abreast. The
roads are not very good, but seemed to me marvels
after the rough tracks of Persia. The scenery grew
more and more majestic as I advanced, and when I

336 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
reached Erivan I was confronted by the sublime form
of Mount Ararat.
After leaving Erivan, the road passes by the foot
of that mountain canonised in the story of the Flood,
and reaches Nakhchivan, where I was shown a place
called the Tomb of Noah, a very uninteresting little
chamber, built of brick, which is certainly not of any
remarkable antiquity, and is devoid of any ornamenta
tion except a few tapers lit by " Believers."
From Erivan to Julfa, the town which abuts on the
Persian frontier, the landscape becomes wilder and more
desolate. I had to stay in one of the post-houses for
six or seven hours waiting for horses. It was a sort
of caravanserai standing alone in the desert, where
camel-drivers, postilions, and carters meet to rest and
to give a feed to their beasts. The heat was torrid.
Such clouds of flies settled on my face and hands, that
it was hopeless to try and shake them off. I shall
not mention the smell and the filthiness of the people
sitting next to me, and, to complete my misfortunes,
there was nothing which I could eat. The only thing
I could buy was tea or lemonade. I had practically
lived on raw eggs, lemonade, and cherries since I
had left Tiflis. Even at Erivan, which is a large city,
the menu of the Grand Hotel was so repulsive that
I was reduced to cherries and eggs, which this time
could be boiled.
Julfa stands on the left bank of the Araxes, which
forms the frontier between Russia and Persia. The

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 337
river is crossed by two punts, one Russian and the
other Persian, which meet at an island in the centre
On the Russian side, the punt worked on a chain and
was big enough for the carriage ; on the Persian side,
it was leaky and rickety, and so small that the carriage
could not be taken on it and had to ford the river.
Men had to go up the stream to find the ford. It
was easy to know that Persia had begun. There were
two imposing buildings : one was a custom-house, the
other was a guard-house. The custom-house officers
were busy somewhere else, and I did not wait for them.
There is no road on that side but from time to time
there were traces of the preparations which had been
made for the journey of the Shah. Stones had been
put on each side of an imaginary road, but that did
not make it smoother for the springs of a carriage like
mine which were mended with string.
After a few minutes of this "road" we entered a
gorge, down the middle of which ran a torrent The
scenery grew wilder and more impressive ; "eagles and
vultures sailed overhead. Not a sound was heard but
that of hurrying waters. The gorge became more and
more confined, until there was only room for the torrent
which was to become our road. Unfortunately it was
a good many feet below us, and the descent was at a
terrifying angle The coachman, however, who was
accustomed to the route was not in the least disturbed.
" It is nothing," he said " The worst that can happen
is for the carriage to turn a somersault in the water."

338 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
He proceeded to tie the wheels for our toboganning,
and while he was engaged in this, another carriage
overtook us, in which were two Seyyeds, or descendants
of the Prophet, accompanied by two women. As might
have been expected, the men occupied the best places.
Their coachman derided the ; precautions my man was
taking, and plunged straight down.
It was all right till they reached the water, and then
the carriage suddenly turned turtle, and the Seyyeds,
whose ancestor neglected to protect them, and the women
were pitched into the stream with their beds and their
baggage. We had to wait till the stream, which was
our road for several miles, was cleared, then we
toboganned into it, and were at once axle-deep in
water. After two days' journey across a wild country, I got
to Tabriz. Tabriz is a town of about two hundred thousand
inhabitants, the largest city in Persia. It is at the
junction of several important caravan roads, from
Russia, Turkey, Kurdistan, and Teheran. It stands
high above the level of the sea, and its climate is
considered very healthy. The name is derived from
Tab — fever, and Riz — to throw off. It is said that the
wife of Haroun-ar-Rashid was cured there of a bad
fever. The aspect of the town is no different from that of
Teheran and other Persian towns : mud walls, narrow
streets, and vaulted bazars. Earthquakes have destroyed

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 339
it several times, and only two buildings remain of any
antiquity : one is the Blue Mosque ; but the portal, still
covered with beautiful blue tiles, is the only portion
which remains of that celebrated monument. The other
is the old ark or citadel, of which only one huge tower
is still standing; it is now used for the execution of
women, who are thrown from the top.
Mohamed Ali, the actual Shah, who in that town
was Valiahd (Crown Prince) had his residence there,
like all the Crown Princes of the Kajar dynasty. He
is the first Shah to abandon the practice of sending his
eldest son there : probably because he understands the
evil effects of his life in that Turkish province, which
is so much under the sway of Russia, he has kept his
heir in Teheran.
I remained in the Consulate about six months, but
broke the monotony of a long stay in a town so deprived
of interest, and with a European colony restricted to
about thirty people, by going for a tour round the lake
Ourmiah. I left Tabriz at the end of September, with my
servants Mehmed and Abd-Oullah. Mehmed was my
valet, and had the care of my clothes and my bed, which
was composed of a folding frame and sheepskin as a
foundation, with a mattress over it thin enough to be
folded. These were put on a horse with all my other
personal belongings, under the charge of a ckaguird or
groom, whilst the pillow was kept in a sack at the back
of my saddle

340 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
On Mehmed's horse were the provisions, in a
Khourjine or carpet saddle-bag. As to Abd-Oullah, he
had to act as a cook, and his Khourjines were full of
cooking utensils. This made up all my little caravan.
None of us had a weapon of any sort, which was
contrary to the usage of the country, and in spite of the
opposition of my servants. But I have a firm belief
that in Persia it is much safer for a European to rely
more upon the prestige of his sun-helmet than on rifles
or pistols. For nothing could save him from the
fanaticism of the mob, if in using a weapon he were
to spill Mussulman blood. A whip and a determined
bearing would be more efficacious, and would not entail
the danger of vengeance.
We crossed a plain of cultivated fields ; some of
them devoted to melons and water - melons, others
were tracts of marsh-land full of water-birds. In the
middle of the road the dead body of a camel was lying,
upon which huge grey vultures and brown eagles were
gorging. They did not move until I was within
twenty yards of them, and they were so heavy that they
could with difficulty find the momentum to rise. They
had to make several springs before they could manage
to fly. I galloped up to them and came quite close on
them before they could rise. They swooped over my
head screaming, and it was rather impressive to see those
huge shadows against the brilliant blue sky.
On the next day I had my first glimpse of the lake

The Tendour. Making- Bread in Ourmiah.

Cotton threshing.

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 341
Ourmiah, a dark blue patch far in the distance amongst
gold-coloured hills.
Mehmed, who questioned all the people we met on
the road in order to get me information of every sort, told
me that as the Imam Abbas was fighting to obtain some
water, when he arrived in sight of the lake Ourmiah,
which at that time was only a pond, he exclaimed,
" What a speck of water ! It is not worth while my
drawing my scimitar for it," and uttered the wish that it
should grow. Since that time the lake has grown
unceasingly. This shows how childish the Persian mind can be, for
it is well known by all the Shiites that Imam Abbas,
whose camp was surrounded by the troops of the Caliph,
could not even get to the waters of the Tigris, which is a
six weeks' caravan journey from lake Ourmiah.
We crossed the village of Khoumbar, shaded by
many trees and traversed by many streams. The view
of the lake in the far distance was majestic ; it had a
veil of mirage over it from the fierceness of the sun.
The path had a surface of loose stones, and but for
the villages spread here and there like oases, all the plain
looked barren. The heat was intense. Mehmed, to kill
time, had to tell me stories that he had heard in the
caravanserai. The distances seemed very great : every
man on the road of whom we inquired how long the
stage would take us, gave us a different answer.
In spite of a light breeze, which a moment since made
the atmosphere nearly possible, and in spite of the beauty

342 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
of the lake, grown bluer and bluer in its frame of bold
golden rocks backed by undulations of dark blue moun
tains, I asked a peasant to point out a garden where we
could rest. He made us follow him along a stony track
with a stream running down its centre, till he jumped
over a wall, and opened a little wooden door, which closed
a mere hole in the wall not more than three feet high.
This little garden was smiling and cool, with tender
green grass, fruit trees, and poplars. I had my bed un
folded under a walnut tree, and enjoyed a rest, looking
at the blue sky through the tender green arabesque of
the leaves, here and there tinged with yellow.
I heard in the distance the sound of bells ; it was a
caravan passing in the scorching sun on the dusty track.
It was soon lost in the rustle of the breeze through the
foliage. Between the peach tree and the almond on my
right there was a gap, through which I saw in the blue
of the sky two eagles, which without a motion of their
wings were describing huge circles. But for this touch
of the wilds I might have been in Normandy.
My dream died quickly as I retraced my steps on the
stony, dusty path in the blaze of the sun.
On the next day I reached the village of Khosrova,
inhabited by Christians, where the French Catholic
Mission has one of its most important stations.
I stopped in the Mission and visited the village and
the surroundings. The houses of the peasants are very
primitive — they are mere boxes of mud, with no windows
but the hole just under the roof, which is more chimney

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 343
than window. The villagers light the fire in the middle
of the floor, and the room is soon filled with the acrid
smoke of the horse-dung.
The population of Khasrova consists almost entirely of
Chaldeans. Most of them are converted to Catholicism.
They belonged before their conversion to the Nestorian
schism, which they abandoned in the fifteenth century,
thanks to the preaching of a young Chaldean, originally
from Diarbekir — the town in Turkey made famous by
the massacres of the Armenians.
He had been in his own country converted by the
Dominican missionaries.
Crossing the mountains of Kurdistan, he came to
Khosrova to work at his profession of dyer. Though
ignorant, he soon became, thanks to his zeal and the
sanctity of his life, the apostle of his apprentices, whom
he converted. One of them was sent to the Patriarch of Mosoul —
the town from which muslin takes its name — to be
ordained priest When he returned, his house was used
as a church ; and as the Nestorians hated the Catholic
community, they had to keep it a secret for the space of
twenty years, which they used in propagating their faith.
But the Nestorian bishop, Mar- Isaiah, discovered the
secret, and, touched by what he saw, went to Georgia and
was converted by the missionaries.
The Nestorians are still very numerous in all these
districts. One of the remarkable features about their
religion is that the bishoprics are hereditary in certain

344 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
families. The right of inheritance applied to bishoprics
in the Nestorian Church is an innovation of the patriarch
Simon iv. about 1450. This innovation caused in 1551
a schism among the Nestorians, one part of whom
attached itself to the Court of Rome and formed " the
united Chaldeans," having their own Patriarch.
The first and most important condition required for
becoming a Nestorian bishop is that the candidate should
be Nazir before he is born.
The bishop himself does not marry, but he has the
choosing of his successor. This is how he proceeds.
He gives notice to the wife of his brother that the
child who will be born of her will be a bishop. From
that moment she becomes sacred, and ceases to eat meat,
not only until the child is born, but so long as she nurses
him ; that makes him Nazir.
She does not mind that, for her joy of thinking that
her son will one day be a bishop, and that she will be
called the mother of " My Lord," is sufficient to reconcile
her to the deprivation. But the child may be a daughter,
and then everything has to be begun again, until a man
child is born.
When the bishop is dead, his successor on the
episcopal throne takes his place, as a son succeeds to
the position of his father — no matter whether he is
educated or ignorant, clever or stupid, grave or gay,
good or bad, moral or immoral, an old man, a young
man, or a boy.
The Christians, be they Catholics, Nestorians, or

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 345
Armenians, are much persecuted by the Mussulmans, who
steal their crops and their women. Towers may be seen in
each field, where the owner and his family go to live during
the ripening of the harvest, to protect their crops against
the Mussulman robbers, who are generally nomad Kurds
from the mountains.
One evening during the dinner we heard shrieks and
a great disturbance in the village. It was caused by a
band of Kurds who had entered a house in which there
were several women, whom they were outraging. They
had drawn their daggers and threatened anyone who
resisted with instant death.
The priests interfered, and the Kurds had to go ;
but they went with great reluctance, and vowed venge
ance. The good fathers told me that this was a constant
occurrence. After calm had been re-established, we resumed our
dinner, and whilst I was tasting the wine of their vine
yards, the news of the country was told me.
"You have heard," said Father Boucays, "of the
war that the governor of Ourmiah is actually levying
upon the Kurdish tribes of the Turkish frontier. Last
Thursday, that governor, Imam Kouli Mirza, after having
pillaged and destroyed eighteen Kurdish villages, arrived
at Shari, about three leagues from Khosrova, where he
fought a great battle and succeeded in killing the chief
of the tribe of Mehemedi, Mesto Agha Sartip — sartip,
which comes probably from satrap, means a general in

346 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
Persian. It is to be remarked that this Mesto Agha has
been killed by a Christian of Mavana.
" To-day I was told that the Mehemedi, deprived of
their chief, went to Imam Kouli Mirza, gave him nine
thousand tomans, and made peace.
" While the Mehemedi were fighting, their allies the
Kardaris embarked on their exploits. Seeing Sommai
evacuated by the troop, these Kurds came down from
their fastnesses in the high mountains to the villages
of Anzel, and stole nearly three thousand sheep ; and
meeting sixty soldiers returning to camp, killed their
commander, wounded two others, and disarmed the
remainder. " This shows the character of the tribes against which
we have to protect our villages.
" When the expedition was over, Imam Kouli Mirza
returned to the seat of his government at Ourmiah at
the head of his victorious troops, preceded by a horse
man bearing on the point of his lance the salted head
of the conquered chief."
Khosrova was also the seat of a bishop, who was a
native of the country but had been seven years in Rome,
where his docility had led the ecclesiastical authorities to
believe that he would be easily manageable. He had
accordingly been made a bishop ; but as soon as he
returned to his native place with the authority of that
title, he had only one idea, and that was to make money
out of it. He was very troublesome, sometimes making
pacts with the Kurds against the Catholics, and some-

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 347
times with the Catholics against the Kurds. He was a
Nestorian by birth, converted to Catholicism by the
missionaries, and was named Khoda Bakhch — i.e.
present of God. But to the missionaries he seemed
more like a present from the devil.
Once, when he was on very bad terms with the
Mussulman authorities, he took refuge in the Mission,
but soldiers from the Government came to fetch him,
with an order for his imprisonment, which had arrived
from Tabriz.
As the soldiers entered on one side, he escaped over
the garden wall, went to a peasant's house, dressed as a
woman with an impenetrable veil to conceal his beard,
mounted on a donkey, and left the village quietly, with
an old man walking by his side. The Mussulmans who
saw him thought he was a bride on her way to her
wedding. The fathers of the French Mission were supposed
to be under his authority, but when it was discovered
what a rapscallion he was, they asked for protection
from the French Bishop of Ourmiah, the seat of
the Apostolical Delegate of the Pope.
A report was made to Rome, and, pending an answer
from the Propaganda Fide, no more attention was paid
to his orders.
A few months later, whilst in Rome, I heard from
Cardinal Ledokowsky, the Prefect of the Propaganda,
that the Persian Government had imprisoned that trouble
some and unworthy bishop.

348 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
The cemetery of Khosrova is very old, and its tomb-
inscriptions in the Chaldean language are of great interest.
The tombs are generally very simple. Most of them
are only monoliths, rough-hewn; some of them are in
the shape of a ram. This custom of putting a ram upon
a tomb comes from an old superstition which the priests
relate in memory of the sacrifices of the Old Testament,
but which is nothing else but a relic of paganism and of
the love feasts (agapai) of the funerals of the ancients.
The relations, after having lowered the dead into his
last resting-place, offer up a sacrifice upon his tomb by
cutting the throat of a ram, which is then consumed en
famille. They take care, however, to send a portion to
the priest who accompanied the funeral.
Now, in the country of Khosrova and Ourmiah, these
customs have disappeared amongst the Catholics.
After four days in Khosrova, I left for Ourmiah.
The country we had to cross was inhabited by several
Kurdish tribes, though we were not yet in Kurdistan
proper. A priest from the Mission, who was to go with me,
being very much afraid of the Kurds, took one of his
cousins to increase the escort. For that the latter put on
a Cossack's dress, with a rifle, revolver, and quantities of
cartridges arranged in his belts. The priest was also
armed in the same way.
The road was reputed to be dangerous; it climbed
and climbed until it reached the top of a high hill.
From there we could see the lake, so exactly of the

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 349
same colour as the sky that we could not distinguish
where water ended and sky began. This effect was
especially striking as we made the descent.
We stopped for the night at Guiavilan. After having
passed by many villages in the plain, we alighted at the
house of Tamraz, the father of one of the native priests,
called Kacha in Chaldean. The Kacha of the village
came to salute me. He looked just like one of the
Assyrians on the bas-reliefs in the British Museum, with
his long beard and hair, curled in stiff waves, and his
high kolah of the old Assyrian shape.
On the day after we reached the city of Ourmiah,
which lies in the most fertile plain of Persia.
I had quite an imposing reception in that town.
The missionaries had sent word to the authorities that
I was coming, and an hour out of the town I was met
by an escort sent by the governor, with a " beautiful "
carriage lined with pale blue satin, on each side of which
walked three men with long silver staves. The governor
had also sent a Yadek — a horse saddled and richly
caparisoned, but with no rider on it, led by the hand — a
Persian mark of distinction.
Four missionaries on horseback were also there,
waiting for me. When I alighted they made me drink
some wine from their own vineyards as a toast; and I
entered the carriage, which proceeded at a slow pace.
All the schools of the Mission had sent their boys and
girls to greet me and cheer as the carriage was passing
them.

350 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
I was conducted with this pompous array to
Monseigneur Lesne\ the Apostolical Delegate of the
Pope, who showed me hospitality in the palace of the
Mission. As I crossed the threshold, a Chaldean Catholic
cut the throat of a sheep and threw its head over the
other side, so that I had to spring across its blood. This
is a sign of welcome.
The hall was full of Shirini — sweetmeats on trays
arranged in heaps with many-coloured papers, which
had been sent by the different persons who were desirous
of welcoming me.
I spent a most charming week there, sight-seeing and
paying visits to all the interesting people and the different
missions — the English, the American, and the Russian.
The Christian inhabitants of that country appreciate
the good taste of European nations in sending them these
missions, and to show their thankfulness, and in order not
to make anyone jealous, they stray from one to the other,
after they have got all the material advantages which
are forthcoming. But in reality they always remain
Nestorians or Armenians at heart. They are what are
called in the Far East rice Christians.
The last Mission to come there was that from the
Holy Synod of Russia. When it was announced there
was a great movement in its favour, the Russians having
always been expected to protect the Christians from the
hands of the Mussulmans.
A Nestorian bishop, Mar-Yonan (Jonas), who had
successively been converted to Catholicism, Pro-

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 351
testantism, and the Orthodox Church, went about
all the villages announcing that the Russian missionaries
were coming, and that those who should be converted
to Orthodoxy would be protected by Russia, and would
have nothing more to fear from the Mussulmans, who
would no longer have any power over them.
He added that the Lords of the Villages would be
deprived of their lands, which would be divided among
the new converts.
The country was in a great state of excitement over
this announcement The poor ignorant peasants believed
all that they were told. They therefore went in great
number to meet the Russian Mission. Monseigneur
Lesne puts the number at ten thousand.
All the other Missions were in despair.
The Russian missionaries went to all the villages,
and wrote down the names of all those who wished to
be converted. These people imagined that the act of
conversion made them Russian subjects. For in that
country each religion represents a nationality, and
accordingly the Orthodox call themselves Russians,
the Episcopalians English, the Catholics French, and
the Presbyterians Americans.
The new Orthodox converts, believing that they
were Russians, thought that they could do anything
they liked, and committed all sorts of outrages, which
is the practice of the oppressed as soon as they believe
themselves to be powerful.
What was their astonishment when they discovered

352 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
that, just as before, the Mussulmans gave them the
bastinado, whilst the missionaries stood by and saw it
done ! And great was their disappointment when these
same missionaries, instead of giving them all sorts of
things like the others used to do, levied from them
contributions for the construction of churches and for
the maintenance of their priests, while the promised
distribution of lands was not made.
On the other hand, the missionaries were very
impolitic in their attitude towards the Persians. They
spoke haughtily and as if they were masters, and galloped
through the bazars, hitting with their knouts the people
who did not make way for them quickly enough.
Always ready to use the knout, they were soon
detested by everybody, till very strict orders came
from Russia for them to be more moderate. But this
did not hinder the majority of their new converts
from leaving them to go back to more advantageous
creeds. And now their influence is quite insignificant.
The English Episcopalians have a flourishing Mission,
as well as the American Presbyterians, who were intro
duced into the country by Mar Hohanna (John), Bishop
of Guiavilan. He had been to England first in order
to ask the English to send a Mission, but the High
Church received him coldly. He was so displeased
that he went straight to the Presbyterians of England,
who, in order to give him a greater prestige, sent him
to America, from which he returned with missionaries,

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 353
who have dominated the Mission for a long time past.
Thanks to their rich endowments and their clever ad
ministration, they had captured the control of the
teaching ; but now the Catholics are at the head of the
educational movement, as they have more schools.
Though Ourmiah is supposed to be the birthplace
of Zoroaster, — indeed, a tower is still shown which is
associated with his name, — there are no Zoroastrians
(Guabr — our Gebirs) in the country. The population
of about fifty thousand souls is divided between Mussul
mans, Christians, and a few Jews.
Sixty years ago the Christians were all Nestorians
and Armenians ; now, Catholics, Nestorians, Episco
palians, Presbyterians, Orthodox Christians, Armenians,
and what not, are to be found.
There is also a special cult of St George in that
blessed country. They call him Mar-Guiverguis, and
show carved stones on the top of a hill called Bakchi-
Kaleh, where there are ruins of a town ; the two sides of
one of the gates are still standing. He is said to have
been born there.
The plain of Ourmiah is the most fertile part of
Persia, as it is very well watered by a number of small
rivers, and possesses a temperate climate. The vege
tation is like that of Northern Europe. The word
Ourmiah comes from the Chaldean Ur, which means
country, and Mia, water, and the plain deserves its name
of the Country of the Waters.
Raisins form one of the specialities of the district
23

354 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
of Ourmiah. In the villages you see everywhere
enormous quantities of grapes drying in the sun.
The ordinary grapes are dried without any appli
ances, but for certain brands, in order to give them
a very fine colour, a curious process is employed. The
ashes of the tendrils of the vines are boiled down for
a long time in the water. This yields a yellowish fluid,
which is poured into a new cauldron, where it is boiled
again. Then the grapes are dipped for one second into
the boiling liquid, and then spread in the sun to dry —
generally on the flat terraces which form the roofs.
There is no other special industry, although the excellence
of the wood-carving may be mentioned, one of the rare
occupations which is left to the Christians. A Christian
cannot follow the ordinary avocations — for example, the
very necessary craft of the mason, which is practically
reserved for Mussulmans.
And here I may mention the tandour, which is a
feature in the houses of this country. It is a sort of
amphora about four feet high, made of baked clay,
whose sides are three fingers thick, buried in the floor
of the room. A fire is lit in it, and in winter-time
all the family crowd into the room where the tandour
is fixed, and to which the name tandour is also applied.
When the fire sinks everybody crouches over it, and
a huge rug is spread over to keep the heat in.
The fuel used in the fire is the dung of various
animals, kneaded together with water like bread. The
first thing you see when you come to a village is the

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 355
women making round dung cakes which they slap upon
the walls to dry. All the walls are covered with them.
They preserve the impress of womanly fingers. When
they are dried, they are piled in neat conical heaps upon
the roofs. Each house has its dung stack, forming a sort
of dingy pyramid.
It is in the tandour that the bread is baked.
This function is left to the mother of the family.
She has a rolling-pin, and flattens out the dough into
large circular cakes nearly a yard across, as flat as
Scotch oatcakes, and rather resembling in taste the
biscuits which Americans call crackers. In making the
cake she throws it from one arm to the other, letting
it fall on the flat of the forearm. Every time it is thrown
it becomes longer and thinner. And when it has taken
its final shape, it is spread on a round wooden board
with a handle, by which it is pressed against the side
of the amphora, by another woman, who has the baking
in her charge.
The baking is extremely quick, the cake being so
thin. Besides the different Missions, I was much interested
in the visits that I paid to the governor of the town,
Imam Kouli Mirza, and his son-in-law, Medjid-es-
Saltaneh. The governor was a charming old man, refined and
clever, who spoke French rather well. He was quite
full of his recent victory over the Kurds, and showed
me photographs taken during the campaign, among

356 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
which a photo of the salted head of the vanquished
chief on the point of a lance was conspicuous.
It is a custom in Persia to salt the heads of the
enemy in order that they may b»e sent to the Shah
or to the governor of the province to show them how
many enemies have been slain, because otherwise they
would not credit the report. This habit leads to some
abuses : for example, when a governor gives orders for
certain people to be executed in a place which is far
from his seat of government, if those who receive the
order cannot find the real culprits, they cut the heads
off the unfortunate peasants whom they find upon the
road, and salt their heads for transmission.
The most disgusting story of salted heads which was
told me refers to this country. It occurred when the
Kurds made a raid and ravaged the district a few years
ago. They killed a quantity of Christians and cut off
their heads, and the person employed to salt them was
a Christian, who knew that when he had salted the last
his own would be cut off and salted.
It is impossible to waste much pity upon such a
degraded wretch, such a born slave, and one is obliged
to confess that many of the Christians of the East are
creatures of this kind.
Prince Imam Kouli Mirza, who is a member of the
Imperial Family, is very fond of literature. He has
a fine library, with all sorts of remarkable manuscripts
illustrated with drawings and paintings.
He has acquired the reputation of being a just and

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 357
capable governor. One of the first acts of the new Shah
was to reinstate him in his position. Every post in
Persia is vacated on the accession of a new Shah, but
of course many of the officials are reinstated at once,
on the condition, needless to say, that they send a
suitable present, which is really like a tax.
As to his son-in-law, Medjid-es-Saltaneh, I found
him a most charming host. Nearly every day he asked
me to some entertainment. One day it was a luncheon-
party in a huge garden outside the town. At the end
of an avenue of poplars, down the centre of which ran
a stream of clear water in a channel of turquoise blue
tiles, stood a one-storey building, a tower-like pavilion,
covered with tiles and arabesques. Lunch was served
on the roof under a sort of verandah of delicately carved
woodwork and multi-coloured glass. I was agreeably
surprised to find that amongst the sherbets were bowls
of champagne — no mean achievement in a forsaken place
like Ourmiah.
After lunch we went into the garden, where carpets
had been spread on the turf under an arbour of apricot
trees. Musicians were seated on the grass, and a young
dancer about twelve years old came forward to give his
performance. He was of a singularly beautiful Persian
type — the very type which the Persian painters choose
for Joseph, whose name is synonymous with youthful
beauty in their country. He was called Yussef — Joseph
— probably a name assumed to emphasise the resem
blance. He was dressed in crocus yellow with vieux rose

358 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
velvet ornaments, and whilst he danced, with a back
ground of rose trees in blossom, he seemed to be himself
a gigantic flower swayed by the breeze. He performed
a Kurdish dance with a dagger in each hand, in the
middle of which he threw himself upon me as if he was
going to stab me. I could not help starting back, which
amused my host highly. That dance was very character
istic, and the sombre music which accompanied it was
eloquent of the country.
On another day we went out hawking on horseback
in the mediaeval fashion. The falconers had brought only
the small falcons with the blue tails, as we were after
quail. We went into the vineyards, and the dogs worked
amongst the vines ; but the quail would not rise till we
nearly trod on them, they were so frightened of the
falcons. They knew as well as possible what was going
to happen. However, we caught a quantity of them. It is an
interesting sight to watch the falconer give the hawk a
start in the requisite direction with a swift wave of his
arm. The bird slides from his wrist like an arrow on its
prey, strikes it to the earth, and begins to tear it. At
that moment the falconer rushes forward, and first catching
hold of the long string hanging from its leg for that
purpose, presents his fist, upon which force of habit
makes the hawk hop at once. Before presenting his fist
to the hawk, he takes the still living quail from its
clutches and cuts off its head with a knife, saying, " Bis-
millah er-rahman er-rahim — In the name of Allah, the

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 359
clement and merciful " — in order that the quail may be
fit for eating by Mussulmans. For it is forbidden by the
Koran to eat a beast which has not been killed in that
way while these words are pronounced over it.
While hawking, we rode to the top of a hill, where
we lunched in a pavilion surrounded by gardens. This
was in a little village called Sir, where the American
Missionaries have their summer station, with a magnificent
view over the plain and lake of Ourmiah.
Amongst the Christian populations of this country
there is one which has the reputation of possessing good
military qualities. Since the invasion of the Mussulmans
it has always taken the lead in every insurrectionary
movement. This is the tribe inhabiting the village of
Mavana. As the majority of the tribe have been con
verted from Nestorianism to Catholicism, Monseigneur
Lesne" insisted upon my going to see them.
It is about six hours' ride from Ourmiah, on the
frontier of Turkey, and in the wildest country imaginable.
I was accompanied by four priests of the Mission and
two native priests, Kacha Paulus and Kacha Yussef,
who were going to meet the bishop, Mar Thomas,
coming back from Mosoul, where he had been to assist at
the election of the new Patriarch.
My servants, and a secretary who could speak the
Chaldean language, completed the party.
The road across the plain was bordered by willow
trees. At a turning a cairn of stones indicated that a man
had been killed there.

360 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
The country became more and more savage as we
advanced, and as we entered a pass in the mountains
every here and there were to be seen stones commemor
ating murders. I was shown one of these huge stones,
where a Mavanali, attacked by fifteen Kurdish horsemen,
had taken refuge and kept them at bay. Then we
crossed a river, and climbed until we got to the top of a
mountain, all covered with chamen, yellow during this
season. After several ups and downs, a huge plain came
into view, spreading to the foot of the high dark moun
tains of the Turkish frontier. Behind an undulation we
perceived the village of Mavana outlined against the
yellowish green of the plain. A group of trees made
a dark patch at the back, while the foreground was
occupied by threshing-floors, where workers swarmed like
ants on the golden carpet of the straw.
I was to be the guest of the Catholic priest of the
village, Kacha Youkhanna (John the Baptist), a native
who had benefited by the permission given by the Pope
for the converted Nestorian priests to marry. His house
was built of mud and stones with thick walls, no windows,
only three holes at the top to admit air.
As I entered the house, all the family kissed my hand
and raised it to their foreheads.
At twilight my host took us to have tea near the
group of trees, and all the young men of the tribe per
formed war dances. As the night advanced, we returned
to the house of the priest, where a dinner was served — on
the floor, of course. Kacha Youkhanna sat at my right,

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 361
and Malik Atou, the old chief of the tribe, on my left
Wine was poured in brass cups from goat-skins, and my
health was drunk, to which I answered in returning it
with the only Chaldean sounds that I knew — Khob-
Lokhoun — To your good health.
Young warriors, intrepid-looking and most pictur
esquely dressed, with their arms and cartridge belts
shining across their chests, stood watching us and waiting
until we had finished, to eat what we left
Afterwards, Malik Atou, with the interesting and wild
features of a Corsair, told the story of his tribe Though
I could not understand a word of it — for he spoke Chal
dean — I was interested to watch the play of his features
and his gestures and the picturesqueness of the tableau
of the excited audience who interrupted him to add
details. The secretary attached to me by the missionary,
Rabbi Ben-Yamin (Benjamin), took down too all that was
said, and it was translated later on by one of the mission
aries, Father Solomon, a native of the country partly
educated in Rome
Mavana contains two hundred houses and three
hundred and seventy warriors, whose courage is renowned
all over Persia. For this reason, when the Government
wishes to chastise insurgent Kurdish tribes, it takes
warriors from Mavana as advance guards and scouts for
its troops, who very often do not need to fight them
selves, everything being done by the Mavanali.
The governor of the province provides them with
rifles, and consigns to the care of the mayor boxes of

362 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
cartridges, which he distributes in time of war. A certain
number of cartridges are served out to each of them. If
these cartridges are used except in warfare, they have to
be paid for by the men who fire them. This is why,
as they cannot help using some of their cartridges
to shoot wild goats or other game, they long for war,
when the count of cartridges is not taken. They find
it easier to fight than to tear open the strings of their
purses. The women and children of that tribe are not afraid
of standing fire ; they mix so much in warfare that many
have lost their lives in it. As to the children, they run
after the bullets when they see them falling.
The chief wealth of the country lies in sheep and
goats, but they are very difficult to keep, because they
have to be taken to pastures distant from the village and
are often stolen, though the shepherds are always armed.
I have been told that when the Turkish Kurds come from
the other side of the frontier to carry away the flocks,
their practice is to steal under cover of the rocks up to
the shepherd and stab him, in order that no firing may be
heard. They take a goat, cut its ears, and draw a string
round its neck and lead it — then all the rest of the flock
follows. One wonders if the smell of blood has anything
to do with it, as these shepherds assert
In this manner thousands of sheep and goats are
stolen at once, and then there is an expedition — a
miniature war, to get them back. For this reason the
country is nearly always in a state of war.

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 363
Once a family of these brave Catholic Kurds had
come down from its mountains to graze its flocks on the
plains round Mosoul. They were attacked by a band
of Mussulman Kurds, much superior in number, who
massacred them all and took all their flocks, and as
trophies cut off the noses and ears of their victims.
Among these was a courageous and energetic young
man who had been left on the field for dead. In spite
of his grave wounds, he recovered consciousness after
a few hours. He could only just crawl back to his
village. There, thanks to the care bestowed upon him,
he recovered health ; but as he was disfigured by the
loss of his nose and upper lip and ears, he vowed his
life to vengeance, and concentrated his energies on the
destruction of Mussulman Kurds.
He lived a wandering life in the mountains, and
every time that he met an isolated member of the
detested race, he shot or stabbed him. He was very
much dreaded, and made a great reputation as a killer
of men in this mountainous district, where strength and
courage are valued above everything else.
One Friday he arrived in a village of the hated race,
and went into the mosque, where all the inhabitants were
praying. As he entered everybody trembled, but nobody
moved. He glared ferociously on the assemblage, and,
fixing his eyes on the nicest-looking and most vigorous
young man, said, " I shall be content with this one
to-day." He went up to him, and as majestically as if he was

364 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
accomplishing a sacred mission, he stabbed him. A
shiver of horror froze the whole assembly, but as
everybody knew that the slightest move would result in
death, he was allowed to depart as if nobody had noticed
his deed, or as if it was to be considered an act of
justice. That shows the mentality of this people and the
perpetual gui vive in which they have to live. They
say that very often in the night their village has been
attacked, which obliges them to place sentinels round
the town, who fire at any person walking about in the
night who does not belong to their community.
After many stories told by the old chief of the tribe,
everybody left the house — or I might say the room, for
there was only one (the women went to sleep some
where else). I was invited to sleep on a platform of
wood on which a thin mattress had been put.
The missionaries at Ourmiah had told me that it was
not necessary to take my bed with me, that I should
find all I required there I began to think that they
had exaggerated ; anyhow, as I was very tired, I went
to sleep, although there were several noisy fellow-occu
pants of the room, including my host and his scribe.
After a while I began to dream that some of these wild
Kurds were torturing me, and that I was being burnt.
I woke, and found that I was in reality burning, not
from fire, but with the bites of bugs, which in Persia
have the reputation of being worse than anywhere else.
I jumped up, and thought that the only thing to do was

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 365
to get out of the room. I wrapped myself up in a rug,
and noiselessly went out. It was a splendid moonlight
night ; the crests of the mountains towering up made
the scenery almost fairy-like. I climbed on the terrace
of the roof, and as there was rather a cold breeze, I
walked from" roof to roof. No noise was heard. The
sight was both majestic and impressive. While I was
enjoying the grandeur heartily, I heard in the distance,
coming down the other end of the village, a call, which
was answered by a voice nearer to me in Chaldean. As
I did not understand this language, I did not pay any
attention to it ; but the call was repeated, and suddenly
remembering what I had been told about the sentinels,
I quickly retraced my steps towards the house of my
host, and just as I was flying down the terrace a shot
was fired, and I heard the bullet flatten itself against
the wall.
I rushed into the house, and stood up against the
wall, as I dared not lie down.
On the next day I presided at a solemn Mass given
in the church of the village, strongly built with huge
stones like a fortress, a purpose for which it has
frequently been used. The church was full of wor
shippers. In front were the men, kneeling side by side,
at the back all the women.
I was seated in the choir, and at the end of the
ceremony, which was performed according to the
Chaldean rites, the officiating priest laid the benedic
tion on my hands by drawing them through his own,

366 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
whereupon the congregation advanced to me and took
the benediction from my hands with the same solemn
gesture. I left that village after lunch and returned to Ourmiah.
I did not remain there, but proceeded towards Sauj-
boulak, the capital of Northern Kurdistan.
As this country is more dangerous, an escort of four
horse soldiers was provided for me.
I crossed the plain of Souldouz, which has been
given by the Persian Government to the Kara-Papak
(i.e. black fur caps) tribe, which, unwilling to remain
under the Christian yoke, left Erivan at the time of
the Russian Conquest.
I saw at the top of a hill called Franghi Daghi (the
Mount of the Franks) the ruins of a citadel, which had
probably been built by the Genoese to protect their
caravan route to India.
At Sauj-Boulak the governor was profuse in his
hospitalities. He placed at my disposition a building
at the end of the garden of his palace, which he told
me had been occupied by the famous Kurdish chief,
Hamseh Agha.
When, several years ago, Hamseh Agha came
as a guest in the palace to Sauj-Boulak to settle
an affair with the governor about tribute, and the
governor, as this man was the too-powerful chief
of an important tribe, tried to detain him, he said,
" My neck is not made for chains," and with his
scimitar cut himself free, killing many people in the

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 367
process. After having ravaged the country for many
years, Hamseh Agha had a miserable death. Amir
Nizam having been appointed governor in that same
town, sent a deputation to him assuring him that if
he would promise to become his ally, he would let him
rule over a part of Kurdistan on the condition that he
paid a tribute. He invited the Agha to a big fete
which he arranged especially in honour of the treaty,
and, in order that he should have no fear for his safety,
he swore upon the Koran that he would be answer
able for his life, and sent to him the Sacred Book
on which he had printed his seal. Confident in this
sacred pledge, Hamseh Agha accepted the invitation,
and came with fourteen of his men. They were received
with respect in the camp of the governor, and were enter
tained in his tent, and smoked the kalyan of peace, and
signed the treaty. But suddenly, at a given signal, the
Amir went to another tent ; then his soldiers fired
on his tent. The Kurdish chief sallied out with his
terrible scimitar, but although a dozen of his cowardly
assailants fell killed and wounded, he succumbed to
numbers. The governor also assigned a number of servants
to me. This was rather a nuisance, for every time I
wished to go out, they all accompanied me. It spoilt
my visits to the bazar, where my escort, and also my
European dress, attracted the attention of everybody,
and when I stopped in front of a shop a crowd collected
instantly.

368 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
The bazar is very ruinous, covered with vaulted
roofs, which half of them are tumbling down. It was
only in the Saddle and Mattress Bazars, and in the
caravanserai of the silk merchants of Mosoul, that I
found anything worth noticing. But the population
was the most interesting and the most manly-looking
that I had seen in Persia.
What a pleasure, it was to watch this crowd, in their
picturesque, loose-hanging garments. The ruined bazar
made such a striking background for them. Their
energetic and wild faces were lost in the fringe of their
turbans, which were scarcely fastened, and kept up one
could not tell how.
Their waists were encircled by very broad belts, in
which was always a dagger with a plain black handle,
and their white trousers were so large and so puffed out
that they looked like skirts. Their kilted kaftan with
ample sleeves was held on by a sort of woollen bolero,
white or brown.
The governor, my host, Muzaffer-oul-Moulk, was an
amiable old gentleman, with a very bronzed face sur
mounted by a white beard, who appeared saddened by
disillusions. He had been governor of the province of Arabistan,
where he had met Monsieur Dieulafoy and his wife,
who were excavating the ruins of Susa. He had been
to see them there, for the Shah had ordered him to
verify the contents of fifty cases that M. Dieulafoy
was sending to France. It was believed that these

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 369
cases must be filled with precious metals like gold or
jewels, found in the excavations.
Muzaffer-oul-Moulk ordered two or three of these to
be opened, and saw that they were filled only with
broken trunks and stones, more or less carved — nothing
that would have been worth twopence in Persia.
There was also a little pot of earth, very common
in shape, like those which the people of the lowest
class now use to contain their tobacco. A little piece
of it was broken, and M. Dieulafoy had spent sixty
tomans to have the missing piece found, which was
stuck on with great care and wrapped up. Muzaffer-oul-
Moulk asked him with astonishment why he took all
these precautions, and why he had spent so much money
for a thing of so little value. M. Dieulafoy answered
that this thing had a very great value for the Europeans,
because it showed how the pottery was made three
thousand years ago.
Muzaffer-oul-Moulk smiled, and gave leave for the
cases to be despatched without further delay.
A moment afterwards, M. Dieulafoy gave leave to the
workers for the afternoon.
Muzaffer-oul-Moulk asked why.
He answered, " Because it is going to rain."
" What makes you think that ? " asked the Persian ;
" the sky is quite clear."
"The barometer indicates it," answered Dieulafoy.
Muzaffer-oul-Moulk was unwilling to believe it. How
ever, a few hours afterwards, he saw a cloud appearing,
24

370 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
followed by a terrible wind, which blew down his tent.
And then came one of those flood-like rains which are
customary in Arabistan. He was petrified with astonish
ment, and M. Dieulafoy presented him with the baro
meter, which he had kept, and showed to me.
He announced to me that he was going to leave for
Tabriz, where he was to meet the Shah on his return
from Europe. I had noticed that preparations were
being made. A governor does not move without a
large suite. He travels like a Satrap of the ancient
time, with all the luxuries imaginable, amongst which
snow is brought from the mountains several times a
day. I watched quantities of packages and kourjines
being prepared for his journey.
Then there arrived a procession of personages of the
district, who came to wish bon voyage to His Excellency.
Some of them had really the grand air, and were
followed by servants holding their chibouks. An old
man with a noble gait and fine Semitic features attracted
my attention particularly : a beard of silvery white fell
in graceful undulations on his chest He wore an im
mense turban of cream-coloured silk bordered with gold
lace, and his abba, also cream-coloured and adorned
with gold stripes, flowed in unison with his slow and
cadenced steps.
Haughty and slender, he picked his steps with his
fine feet in their yellow pahpoush over the red of the
cracked bricks.
Some of the others had coarse features too much

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 371
accentuated, and a wild and malignant appearance ; their
raven black moustaches, falling like the tusks of a walrus,
made me think of the sanguinary brigandage which
desolates the country, of wild beasts, or of the com
panions of the ruthless Tamerlane.
In Sauj-Boulak the women of the lower class do
not cover their faces. They wear a sort of toque, rather
like those of Toreadors. A great part of the population
is Sunnite, and more in sympathy with the Turks than
with the Persians. There are constantly troubles about
this. There are about two thousand houses of these
Sunnites, and only one hundred houses of Shiites, while
there are a hundred and fifty houses of Jews. There
is also a native Protestant called Shahmashah Shmoyl
— Deacon Samuel — who has been appointed by an
English lady to propagate his faith. But there are no
results, because he is too much taken up with his own
concerns. He lives very well. However, there are
two Protestant houses living on the money of the kind
English lady.
From Sauj-Boulak I went to Mian-Do-Ab — between
two waters. On the way I visited a tomb of an ancient
Chaldean king, cut out of the side of the mountain at
a great height from the ground. Ladders were brought,
which were tied together with the girdles of the men,
and with great difficulty we managed to climb into the
tomb. The mortuary chamber was hewn out of the
rock, about six yards high and eight yards deep.
In front was an arcade divided up by two columns,

372 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
cut likewise out of the virgin rock and with plain
capitals like the Doric order. Two yards farther, the
ground rises with two roofs and two other columns
like the first In this upper part of the chamber were
dug three holes, one of seven or eight feet long and
four feet wide, and two others on the left about four
feet long and nearly two feet wide. I imagine that
these were tombs, but had no means of identifying
them. There was no inscription or ornament of any
sort. The upper chamber was about ten feet high.
At Mian-Do-Ab, where I arrived with Mehmed before
my baggage, the governor would not receive me, as I
had not my letters of introduction. I went to the
caravanserai, but when Abd-Oullah arrived with my
baggage, I sent the letter to the governor, and he was
so sorry that he instantly sent me several men with
an officer of his staff to invite me to stay at his house.
As the caravanserai was very indifferent, I accepted.
I dined with him on the floor, and he excused him
self for not being able to give me any pork to eat,
because he had been told that Europeans only ate
pork and drank wine. But he had been able to procure
a large quantity of the latter, and was so disappointed
when he saw that I preferred plain water, that he drank
all the wine himself. The Persians are not so strict
as other Mohammedans about drinking wine. He was
very likely glad to have the excuse of my presence to
indulge in this forbidden luxury.
After dinner, as I mentioned that I was tired and

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 373
wanted to get up early, he ordered the trays and plates
to be taken away and the beds to be brought in. My
servant unfolded my bed in a corner of the room, and,
to my amazement, the governor's servants spread his
Persian bed in the middle of the room. But at Rome
one must do as the Romans do, and I did not make
any remark.
The worst of it was that he snored, and it would
hardly have done for me to wake him.
I then regretted that I had not stayed in my caravan
serai. The sun was scarcely rising when I took the
opportunity of getting up and proceeding with my journey.
Mian-Do-Ab had been bought by the Shah three
years previously from Amin-ed-Dowleh, then Grand
Vizier, for the sum of eighty thousand tomans. It is,
as its name implies, very well watered by two rivers.
This year there was so much water that the two rivers
joined in one stream. In spite of the floods, the harvest
was very good. The country is mostly under wheat,
barley, cotton, and vines.
My next destination was Maragha.
My path lay at first through wide plains, mostly
cultivated. Then we re-entered rocky foot-hills. When
we reached the top of them, we perceived Maragha,
which spread its verdure in the shape of a scorpion at
the foot of an amphitheatre of mountains.
The limpidity of the atmosphere deceived me, so that
I thought we were quite close to it, while we were still
two hours away.

374 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
When we entered the town we had to pass mono
tonous stretches of gardens for an hour or so. They
were enclosed with walls of unmortared stones. When
we arrived at the vice-governor's house, he was not
expecting me so soon, and apologised profusely for not
having sent the usual esteghbal or escort to meet me.
He reproached me with not having sent him notice of
my arrival. It had not been possible, because the wires
of the telegraph had been cut by the nomad tribes of
Shahsevends, who were camping in the country and
causing grave disturbances.
Maragha belongs to Assef-es-Saltaneh, the Sahab-
Jam, the Master of All, what we should call the Minister
of Transport, one of my Teheran friends, who had
written to the vice-governor, Nassir Daftar, to show
me special hospitality.
The latter gave me an apartment next to his own in
the Government House. All the front of the room
consisted of windows made on the English principle, but
with sashes of carved wood. It looked out on to the
courtyard, where the prisoners were brought before the
governor to be tried.
It was there that I made studies upon the way
justice is administered in Persia ; and as I was shocked
at the excessive corporal punishments, I asked Nassir
Daftar to stop them while I was his guest. He acceded
to my wish, exclaiming, however, "But how is this?
Have you no justice in your country?"
Maragha was a seat of the Mongol power. Hulaku

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 375
Khan, the grandson of Jenghiz Khan, after having
exterminated the Assassins and conquered the Caliphs
of Bagdad, established himself in this spot He chose
this site because of the scorpion shape of the valley,
which he considered of good omen. He had a Christian
wife, who liked to be surrounded by philosophers, wise
men, and priests. There are still some remains of
the university founded by Hulaku Khan, and I went
on the top of a hill near the city where formerly stood
the observatory of the celebrated astronomer, Nasr-ed-
din, who invented or formed the table of the Ilkhani.
But I found nothing except vague foundations.
Several monuments of that period remain, made of
bricks with beautiful tiles, which still preserve their
brilliant colours. But as the Government has taken
no interest to the place, anyone who likes helps himself
to them. Two of these towers are the tombs of Hulaku
and his queen. They are in private gardens. The
tower of the King is occupied by a stable. I climbed
up to the first floor, but could see nothing of the
decorations, which must have been there, and have
been taken away by people. On the roof were storks'
nests. These birds are much venerated in the country,
for they are supposed to bring good luck.
Here I made the acquaintance of an interesting chief
priest, with whom I had several conversations about
religion. I was also interested in the fact that he
had already twenty wives and concubines (the number
of the former being limited to four). It was the custom

376 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
of this Solomon to sit in his garden surrounded by all
his women, who were a garden in themselves, for each
one of them dressed in a different gorgeous hue,
representing some favourite flower.
While a tower was being erected for him in his
garden on the side of a hill, old potteries were dis
covered, with vessels as black as the Etruscan bucchero,
very solid and hard, and with primitive geometrical
designs on them. One of them was of a most extra
ordinary pattern. Out of a bowl, shaped something
like a cocoanut, came a handle at the back and a
ram's - nose spout, with a canal smaller in diameter
than a lead pencil feeding it. I have looked in vain
for its counterpart, even in museums like the Louvre.
Seeing my admiration, the old priest made me a present
of it. The ornamentation suggested very primitive
Greek pottery. It is the finest object in my Oriental
collection. On the day before my departure, I heard that the
nomad tribes of Shahsevends which infested the country
had been plundering a caravan on the road to Tabriz.
The governor of Maragha insisted on my taking a
strong escort, and asked me not to take the ordinary
road, but to make a detour to avoid the Shahsevends.
As this detour would have made my journey a whole
day longer, and as it was my last stage before getting
back to European society and comforts, and especially
because the Shah was on his way back from Europe
and I did not wish to miss being at Tabriz during

Prehistoric jug found at Maragha, and an embroidery from
Bokhara,

Collection of the Author .

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 377
his stay, I decided that I should take the shortest
route in spite of the Shahsevends. But I promised
to travel only during the daytime.
We started very early in the morning, with an escort
of martial-looking horsemen. The country was as wild
as that near Mavana, and the road was only a vague
caravan track. I followed the telegraph poles : the surest
means to prevent my missing my way. We trotted
our horses along until two o'clock, when we reached
a village, where we had lunch and baited our horses.
The keeper of the caravanserai tried to persuade me
to remain there for the night, pointing out all the
dangers of the road, and telling me about the murders
daily perpetrated by the Shahsevends. But I was
more nervous about not getting home quickly, so I
ordered my horse to be got ready — it had not been
unsaddled. My servants were soon prepared, but it was more
difficult to make the escort start with me. They
pretended that their horses were not sufficiently rested,
and my promises of large backsheesh only decided one
of them to come along. The others promised to follow
a short time after.
We were soon on the path again. It grew more
and more monotonous as we penetrated farther into
the mountains.
We were to reach a fortified village before sunset,
where we were to spend the night.
We had not met a soul, we had not heard a noise,

378 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
nor perceived the ghost of a Shahsevend. The twilight
soon passed, as it does in the East, and a bright starlit
night without moonshine overtook us. It was light
enough to guess things without seeing them. My
servants became very nervous, and the horseman who
was riding in front called Mehmed to him and talked
to him earnestly in Turkish for a few moments. When
he had finished I asked Mehmed to tell me the subject
of their conversation. It was only after much hesitation
that he explained to me that the horseman had confided
to him that we were approaching a spot called the
Khiaban (avenue), a name given to a defile renowned
for its ambushes for caravans. He added that my
obstinacy in insisting on pursuing our journey had put
their lives in jeopardy, and that they would be "upon
my head."
The moment was a solemn one. We rode in single
file, the path being extremely narrow. In front was
our "escort," I came next, followed by Mehmed and
Abd-Oullah, and the chaguird brought up the rear. I
felt the weight of those four lives on my head, when
suddenly we heard the trampling of horses coming from
the front. Instantly the "escort" slipped away on our
right and was lost in the hills.
I guessed from that that there was some danger,
and that was the reason why I had not insisted upon
the rest of the escort accompanying us. The clatter
of hoofs drew nearer, and I perceived the shadows
against the clear night sky of several horsemen, with

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 379
their rifles planted on their right knees ready to be
used. Things were critical. Were they peaceful
travellers like ourselves, or were they the dreaded
Shahsevends? I had scarcely time to think of that,
when the first horseman alighted and caught hold of my
bridle. In my astonishment, without any earthly reason, I
gave the Mussulman formula of salutation, with
cordiality in my voice, as if I was addressing a
friend, " Salam aleikoum / "
I can give no explanation of what compelled me
to act thus, I can hardly even describe my feelings.
I was not exactly frightened. I felt more like a man
condemned to be hung at the moment when the cord
is going round his neck, when there is no further
occasion to be frightened because the end has come.
The man stared at me without saying anything, and
turned to his companions, with whom he exchanged some
words in a low voice. After a brief parley he remounted
his horse, and addressing me, said, " Khoda Hafiz" (God
guard thee), and they filed past us and were lost in the
night. I counted them as they passed : they were
seven. At that moment fear fell upon me. A cold sweat
burst from my forehead.
A ghastly idea obsessed me that they had let us pass
only to shoot us down from behind at their leisure. At
that moment a fresh clatter of hoofs came from our right.
A shiver ran down my spine, but there was no call

380 QUEER THINGS ABOUT PERSIA
for it, because it was only the "escort" coming back,
who, as I was informed afterwards, gave the excuse that
it was for my good that he had fled, to take a position on
a hill from which he could shoot down my assailants ;
for if he had remained with us, as he was the only one
armed, he would have been overpowered in a second.
He resumed his post at the head of the cortege, and
we were soon in the dreaded Khiaban.
It was a narrow gorge between rocky hillsides. My
imagination was so possessed that I saw in every bush a
crouching rifleman, and the few minutes of the passage
of the Khiaban seemed like hours.
As we emerged and the darkness became less intense,
my horse swerved violently, and I perceived on the side
of the path two pale spots, which I made out to be the
bodies of the two poor camel drivers who had been killed
in the assault on the caravan of which the keeper of the
caravanserai had been speaking.
A few hundred paces farther on was a guard-house,
whose business it was to look after the safety of this defile ;
but the guards were comfortably bolted in, and we had to
knock at the door and prove our respectability before
they would trust us in.
They looked far worse than Shahsevends could be
imagined to look. However, after much parleying and
promises of large backsheesh, I succeeded in persuading
two of them to accompany me to the village, which I had
expected to reach before sunset, but which was still one
hour farther.

BOUND FOR KURDISTAN 381
The keeper of the caravanserai had gone up in my
estimation. Even when we did arrive at the village, I was not at
the end of my troubles, for it was surrounded by high
walls, and the gates were shut. After my men had
knocked at the gate for fifteen minutes, the porter
shouted through the gate, "Who are you? What
do you want?"
" We are servants of the Shah," answered my men ;
"open the gate."
" Servants of the Shah ? Oh, I know Shahsevends !
Come back to-morrow morning."
Explanations went on for about half an hour, till at
last, after having used up our whole stock of menaces in
the name of the Shah, and mentioned that I was a
Franghi, the gate was opened, and we were led through
endless flocks of sheep and goats, which had been driven
in for security during the night, to the caravanserai,
where I passed the brief balance of that awful night.
At three o'clock in the morning we were up, and at
four were in our saddles in order to get to Tabriz by
daylight. But it was six o'clock in the evening before
we rode in to its gates.
One hour out of the city I was met by a little troupe
of Europeans and Persians from the city, who came to
make me an estaghbal.
This was the end of my journey round lake Ourmiah,
and of the most memorable twenty-four hours in my life.

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